In the Limelight
by Lellian
Summary: When Ryou comes to work at Pegasus's modelling firm, he's surprised to find out that a certain blue eyed brunette has taken an interest in him. But what are Kaiba's motives? Yaoi. SetoRyo [Discontinued]
1. Wall of Shame

Lell: Okay, okay, I know I should be updating Of Puppies, Dragons and Foxes, but to be honest, I was tired of people yelling at me about which person Jou-kun should go with. Anyway, this was just a story to get all my frustration out on, not to mention the fact that I'm in my holiday home which has no Internet or cable. No Yu-Gi-Oh, Shaman King or !!!! I can't even check my e-mail. (Buries face in kittified Mokuba's neck)

_Adara: We're both very upset – withdrawal cravings and all that._

_Lell. --_

_Seto: Don't you think that you're over-reacting a bit? I mean, so what if you can't go on the Internet....okay, don't look at me like that...um, help? Please._

_Lell: Quiet you. Anyway, I wrote this story for Ragdollsally15, simply because she has been a wonderful reviewer and I felt guilty for not making it Ryou and Seto. This is for you darling, I hope you enjoy. Oh and Adara wants me to tell you to tell Cain she says hi!_

_Disclaimer: Lell does not own this in any way or means so don't sue – she only has crappy fan art to offer._

_Warnings: Bad language, Yaoi and mild Yuri. This means that there _will_ be male on male action with a smattering of girl on girl. If this freaks you out then I'd advise you to leave. Now. And find yourself some more tolerance; you won't do well in the world if you don't have an open mind. Oh and Anzu bashing. I can understand if you like her, but I don't. That doesn't imply that she is a bad character, only that she is not to my liking so I portray her that way. I think that's it unless an extremely badly decorated room counts as needing a warning._

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A slender figure wound its way through the busy crowd of pedestrians, fighting against the incoming sea of two-legged traffic. Being slight of build, the youth often stumbled, having been on the receiving end of a rough shoulder or an accidental knock. He gave no sound of protest, white tressed hair curtaining his face as he continued on doggedly, a blue bag weighing down one slim shoulder. His quiet determination was admirable; he did not seem to be one to show such strength in the face of such difficulties. But then again, the opponents were only people, blank city faces that he would never see again. One petal in a mass of blossoms, no different from them, no more important. Just another person whose dreams had led them to the busy metropolis.

Boy was Bakura Ryou not ready for this.

He stopped, ducking into a shop alcove and standing on his toes, straining to see over the heads of the crowd, melting brown eyes searching anxiously for the place that he sought. A gleam of pristine marble and the flash of green tinted glass drew his gaze and he allowed a small smile to hover briefly over shapely lips before he continued onwards once more. His destination was a soaring building, set proudly in the centre of the street. Through the translucent glass front, scurrying figures could be seen on each floor, Ryou's head tilting back precariously as his gaze travelled over the building from top to bottom.

_Golden Eye, the place to become a shining star. _Well, at least that was what was emblazoned across the head of the letter that Ryou clutched nervously one hand. He risked a glance at the writing underneath the swirling gold type.

_Dear Sir,_

_Due to the rather interesting nature of your portfolio, we at Golden Eye have ascertained that you are indeed suitable for our new program. We would like to invite you to our Social Starter, a chance for you to mingle with those that you will be in a close working environment with. If you choose to accept this invitation, please...._

After that, the letter had sunk into a web of intelligible language, a tangle of wherefores and forasmuches and the occasional long-term contract subsidiaries. Ryou had been lost, but the British youth had ascertained that indeed, he had been accepted. He smiled again, simply at the memory of the celebration his roommates had thrown for him. Up until the early hours of the morning, he, Yuugi and Malik had fallen asleep in a twisted pile of limbs and drink bottles. Those two had been so supportive ever since that first scout had approached him. Well, even if they had had the extra incentive of him gaining them entrance to all the modelling parties. Ryou was going to be a model, they had said, only slightly tipsy, he was going to be a star and that they would be behind him all the way. Well, that night, Malik had certainly tried to be behind the white haired youth, but in a different way. The teen always had been a friendly one when under the effects of alcohol, just as you could be sure that after a few tequila shots; Yuugi would start to find the walls of their penthouse extremely amusing.

Ryou started chuckling softly, an action which several passers by noted with slight wariness. He was after all a young man, not dressed in a dark suit like the rest of the crowd, standing there giggling as he looked up at the towering peak of the modelling agency. Strange kid.

Calming down, Ryou pushed open the glass door, fingers lingering on the cool metal as he entered the domain of the celebrities, models that graced the covers of those glossy magazines and who were portrayed atop billboards. To think, he was now employed in the modelling firm run by the great Pegasus.

A blast of cool, jasmine scented air assaulted his nasal passages and he wriggled his nose cutely, trying to stifle a sneeze. Once the threat of an explosion was past, he looked up, brushing his soft white tresses from out of his eyes. He was in a large atrium and there seemed to be something terribly wrong with the plumbing here; water was cascading down the walls. But, oddly, no one else seemed to notice. Ryou tentatively reached with trembling fingers towards the wall, only to find that the surface was smooth and dry. Constructed out of thousands of glass bricks, the water seemed to be running down the inside of the wall, like an indoor waterfall. Very fancy.

Once more inspecting the room that he was in, Ryou was awestruck at the sheer beauty he was witnessing. It showed extremely good taste and it was a taste that fitted in well with Ryou's own ideas of what looked good, what was trying too hard and what looked just incredibly tacky. This room, heck the whole building simply screamed taste, class and lots and lots of money. Polished marble tiles, creamy white tinted with streaks of dove grey, lined the floors, producing a slight clicking noise when any of the high heeled business woman strode past him, hair done officially in that universal bun which screams make-a-move-on-me-and-I-will-sue-your-ass-off. Not that any of them would use the term ass ever. Maybe Gluteus Maximus, but never something as unpolished as ass. The glass water walls were of the same tinted green glass as the front windows, yet the rippled material of the bricks and the flowing liquid cast dancing flickers of light that bounced of the gleaming floor and made the room seem as if it was underwater. Soft lighting, perfect for making everyone look wonderful. This Pegasus really knew his techniques. A beautiful employee was a happy employee and happy employees worked harder for less money.

A fountain stood in the centre of the room. More water. Must be some Feng Shui thing. As Ryou padded over towards the fern fringed bowl, a flash of gold and orange caught his eyes. Twisting lazily, the Koi Carp flicked a languid tail and drifted under the disturbed water that was sprinkled with droplets from the granite dolphin. The graceful beast was caught midleap, the spray of water from its blowhole rippling down to conceal the strut that supported the sculpture, giving the impression that the dolphin was suspended in the foaming peak of a wave. The decoration once more screamed taste and money. This was certainly a classy place and Ryou was coming close to pinching himself, just to see whether this was real or not. He didn't in the end, but he sure was tempted to perform that childish action.

A low cough brought him back from his contemplations and he threw his head up like a startled deer, only to find a diminutive woman smiling up at him. Her trim frame was dressed simply in a black pencil skirt and a lavender blouse. Her pale blonde hair was pulled back from her face securely by a length of black velvet ribbon, its soft curls falling in a soft waterfall down the back of her blouse. Milky skin nearly glowed under the flattering light from the walls as she smiled up at him, deep grey eyes inquisitive and business like, the dark iris streaked with flecks of a paler hue.

"You are Bakura Ryou, am I not correct?" she asked, voice clear over the babbling song of the glass walls and the fountain. All Ryou could do was nod, startled by the normalness of the woman. A small smile lingered on her unpainted lips as she ticked something off on the clipboard that she was holding. "To be honest, I knew already." She deftly unclipped a sheet of paper and held it up, revealing a picture of Ryou. It was a portrait shot of himself, white hair softly framing his face as he propped his chin on one hand. He seemed to be staring past the camera, eyelids half lowered as if in a dream, lips slightly parted. Ryou flushed, recognising it as one of the ones that he had included in his portfolio. "Mr Crawford always sends visual identification down so we can greet each new employee as he comes in. You were certainly easy to recognise, your looks are very distinct, very perfume ad if I may say."

Ryou blinked, slightly overwhelmed by this all already. He could have sworn that the woman smirked slightly as she held out a French manicured hand.

"Sorry, I kind of get caught up in the ideas for each new victi...I mean employee." Now she was definitely smirking, poking gentle fun at the flushing youth that stood before her. "Well, now all that official crap is over and done with, I can introduce myself." As Ryou took her hand lightly, she gripped it firmly. "I'm Carly, Carly Chan."

Ryou frowned at this. "Chan? No offence, but you don't exactly look Chinese...heck, you don't even look oriental." Carly nodded; absently adjusting the sapphire drops in her ear. The dark blue stones winked in the soft skin of her lope, not affected by the reflected green light sent out by the constantly moving water walls.

"I'm American actually," she offered. "But my mother remarried and I decided to take her Chinese husband's last name." She made a slight face. "It was better than my former surname – Carly Hebblethwaite." She shuddered deliciously as Ryou hid a smile behind one hand.

"Your Japanese is certainly good, you have no accent that I can see." Ryou said shyly, looking up at the woman with those wide chocolate eyes.

Cary smiled gratefully, her eyes becoming friendlier as she warmed to the awkward young man that stood before her. He seemed too nice to have come into this business. She hoped the harpies that worked here wouldn't break his spirit too soon.

"Well, introductions over, I've been instructed to take you to see the big man himself." She turned briskly on her heel, official manner once more in place as she headed towards an elevator in the corner of the room, glass naturally. Releasing a key card from a clip around her neck, she swiped it deftly through the slot. The doors slid open with a soft ping and Carly strode in, followed be a meek Ryou who was still looking around him with large eyes. He emitted a slight squeak once the elevator was beginning its ascent and he realised that the floor of the box was also glass, allowing him to see an interesting set of cables and winches, all becoming increasingly far away as they rose up through the floors. Resisting the urge to close his eyes, Ryou busied himself watching the different levels that they passed through. One filled with desks and computers white shirted and black trousered people bending over the screens. This must be the business end of the company, judging by the numerous pie charts that were displayed on flip charts, as well as squiggles of unreadable lists of what seemed to be figures with lots of zeroes. Not particularly interesting, but it was better than looking down and realising that the only thing that separated him and a rather lengthy drop was a sheet of green glass. Now that was a reassuring thought.

The next floor was similar, but the attitude was more relaxed. Jeans replaced suits and shirts had disappeared to make room for crass sloganised t-shirts, often with some sort of strange symbol that looked like an eye. The youth vaguely recognised it, possibly from his letter. It must have been the logo for Golden Eye. Still the same multitude of computers, but the flip charts seemed to have designs scrawled upon them. They might have been designs for anything from posters to television advertisements. The Graphics floor maybe?

Still quickly rising, the elevator passed through several more similar floors, plus a few where the walls turned to solid white painted ones, instead of glass, blocking vision. Finally, the box slid to a smooth halt and the doors once more opened with a cheerful ping. The corridor that was revealed was certainly...different from the subtly elegant décor of the rest of the building. Unless you could call pink and gold striped wall paper elegant. This eyesore made Ryou flinch and Carly looked sympathetically at him. "It's a bit of a shock to find out that one of the supposedly best styled men in the world could actually allow that colour scheme."

Ryou smiled weakly, still looking shell shocked by the wallpaper. That had been rather an understatement. Was the man who had employed him completely colour blind? The pair emerged from the glass box that began to sink back down the shaft again, in response to someone else's call no doubt. Trying not to look at the bright colours of the wall, Ryou focused his eyes on the door they were heading towards. This might actually be considered good to look at. Painted black, golden cranes flew across the background in a V formation while nearer the front, a silver tree was pressed on in artfully flaked silver leaf, lotus like blossoms a deep copper. The white haired teen barely had time to admire the Chinese artwork that adorned the wooden barrier before Carly had pressed a buzzer and the door had swung open.

Another large room was revealed and it was just as garish as the hallway. The colour scheme was similar, once more pink and gold, but the wallpaper was covered in Harlequin diamonds, alternating between each hue. The carpet was a deep burgundy, a very dark red that clashed with the pink. Several chaise lounges were scattered around the room and these had oddly been chosen to be upholstered in black and white zebra print. His gaze travelling across the room, Ryou was surprised to say the least to see a four-poster bed in the corner of the room, violet satin curtains covering three enclosed side, leaving the top open. Pillows of the same colour and material were propped invitingly on the mattress and were those red flecks that were scattered over the purple sheets rose petals? Who was Mr Crawford expecting? Looking up, Ryou saw himself. The man had mirrors on the ceiling. Being as naïve as he was, Ryou absently wondered why Pegasus would want reflective surfaces above him. Foolish teen.

Set in the centre of the room, before the large glass wall that allowed an overview of the city, light streaming brightly through it, a spacious desk was placed. The polished mahogany surface was covered in papers; photographs were haphazardly strewn over it, magazine fronts cascading out of hastily stapled files. All the signs of the owner of a Modelling firm were there, albeit in a very messy form. Yet Ryou's eyes were drawn to the man that sat behind the desk in a high backed swivel chair. Long fingers formed a steeple under his chin, pale skin a contrast against the red plush of the man's obviously tailored suit. The smooth material clung to the broad shouldered frame, the colour certainly vibrant. A dainty handkerchief peeped out of the breast pocket, lace trimmed edge snowy against the red base colour. Mr Crawford's face was half hidden by a curtain of silver hair, straight tresses obviously newly styled, blow-dried and whatnot. The one eye that was visible was dancing with barely concealed smirk and painted lips, yes he was wearing lipstick of some sort, were pulled up in a devilish smirk. The effect of the obvious colour blindness of this man was strangely relaxing, although Ryou was voicing silent wonders at the sanity of Mr Crawford. A winking metal sheet at the front of the desk had "Pegasus J. Crawford" written on it in curling cursive script. This was the man who had founded Golden Eye, the company that had reached multi millionaire status in just three years. Pegasus had become the name to be working for, it just proved that you were one of those attractive enough to be chosen by him and his tastes were finicky to say the least.

"Well how do you do my darling?" Pegasus drawled lazily, flicking a strand of silver deftly out of his face. "It's just wonderful to know that you accepted my invitation. With your face, we'll make you a star in no time. Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Versace, all shall want you."

Once more blinking like a deer caught in headlights, Ryou managed to compose himself long enough to bow slightly and murmur a greeting. He was aware of Carly standing a few paces behind him, all too probably smirking once more at the gushing speech that Pegasus seemed to be launching himself into.

"Of course they'll want you, but you'll always tell them that you're mine won't you? You wouldn't abandon Golden Eye, not when I so kindly employed you." Pegasus seemed to be making puppy eyes at the younger man, a fact that caused him to reel somewhat. "I'd feel very bad if such a pretty flower betrayed me like that." And now he was pouting...this was certainly not what Ryou had envisioned on his first day of work, far from it in fact. This oddly dressed and clearly insane man was the one he had to work for? Pegasus suddenly leaned forwards, peering intently into the soft features of the younger teen. "He has such a pretty face doesn't he Miss Chan?"

Finally coming forwards, Carly nodded swiftly, grey eyes also intently fixed on the now self-conscious Ryou. "Yes sir, a very appealing face. A fitting one for the upcoming perfume advertisement don't you think? His eyes are perfect and the hair is just different enough to add that extra panache without falling into the trap of over styling. He looks natural, that's what makes him so appealing."

This analysis of his looks was something that Ryou had never got used to. Yuugi and Malik had always assured him that he was adorable, but judging by the fact that he had never had a lasting relationship, he reasoned that they were exaggerating. He was still in delayed shock about the fact that a talent scout had even recommended him to the big boss, not to mention he had been employed. He just didn't see it, didn't see what everyone else saw. He didn't see his soul shining through his eyes.

Pegasus nodded in assent and all too suddenly, Ryou was blinking blindly from the flash of a camera. Once the pink and gold spots in his vision had faded to the gold and pink diamonds of the wall paper, he looked questioningly at Pegasus, only to find he wasn't there anymore. Swivelling his gaze around, he found Pegasus at the wall opposite the bed. What he had taken to be a darker wall than the other ones was actually due to the fact that it was plastered with photos. Pegasus was at present in the middle of attaching his own photo at the bottom of the collage.

Walking closer, Ryou could now make out individual photos. Some blonde, some brunettes, even some with red hair. Of both sexes, one thing could be assured; all were beautiful. Yet many photos had a large X magic markered over their faces in red.

"Those are the ones that left me, the ones who have been crossed out," a voice said and Ryou turned to see Pegasus looking intently at him.

"Left?"

"Abandoned me for other companies." Pegasus said morosely. "Either that or they couldn't cut it. They couldn't handle the pressure of modelling. It isn't all glamour and parties Ryou darling. Models do have to work, they can't just look pretty, they have to work out what the shoot requires and they have to protect their own interests at all costs."

Ryou was slightly perturbed by the fact that Pegasus had progressed to first name basis, but the man obviously felt pain at the thought of all the young hopefuls that had failed or left him for greener pastures.

Pegasus had once more lapsed into silence and Ryou took this chance to examine the mass of photographs that were pasted over the wall. Of the ones that remained unblemished, a few caught his eye. Only one was female, yet even if Ryou wasn't one for admiring women, he could still appreciate the obvious beauty of the girl. Blonde curls were immaculate, even though he suspected that all these photos had been as much of a surprise for the subjects as it had been for him. Violet eyes were wide and were normally a striking colour, but Ryou had become accustomed to seeing Yuugi's eyes and they were of a similar hue though. She was extremely sensual though, he had to admit that.

Another few noticeable ones were much closer in towards the centre, in the inner ring. These were probably more high status models, ones that had been employed by Pegasus for longer.

One seemed to be about his age, golden skin flawless and complemented by the honeyed blonde locks of the boy. He had an eager air about him, an aura of such energy that even a still and obviously unprepared image made you want to laugh. There was no name, but it was a face to remember with those amber eyes.

Then there were two that seemed to be Egyptian. One was calm, gold bangs framing his dusky face while crimson eyes looked steadily out of the shot. Red and black peaks rose above that, odd hairstyle obviously being one of the attractions about him. He was an odd fish among so many classical examples of good looks, though his neighbour was hardly what you would call normal. Another Egyptian, this time with platinum blonde tresses, seemingly gelled into some unattainable defiance of gravity. This male was amethyst eyed and instead of the serenity and coolness the other possessed, these occuli excluded wildness and raw emotion. Here was a model one would want to show passion, lust, any strong emotion for even from a picture, Ryou could judge that here was a man that did not live by halfway measures. It was all or nothing for him, but this obviously seemed to be working for him here.

The last two pictures were the largest and set at the centre of the collage. Both were profiles and the faces were pointed towards each other. One was a blacknette, layered hair pulled back by a strip of red cloth to expose an angled face and green, green eyes. Lips were twisted into a mocking smirk and the face sent out vibe upon vibe of self confidence. Beautiful and he knew it, that was the impression that Ryou received from the picture.

As for the other one. The person depicted still had an air of self confidence, but it came more from the fact that a pair of very blue looked towards the blacknette with so much mocking that they didn't look like there was a space between two photos between them. Chestnut locks tumbled into a pale face, threatening to obscure the icy gaze of those sapphire eyes. Out of all of them, this was the face that Ryou liked the most, the one he considered to be the most suited for modelling.

The most beautiful out of all the beautiful people there. A high compliment.

"Bakura?" The youth jumped slightly, startled out of his musings and reluctantly pulling his gaze away from the photos before him to look towards Carly. "I'll take you to where all the new employees are gathering. It will give you a chance to get to know the ones you will be working with. You know, make friends, assess the competition."

Ryou nodded and followed Carly who had begun to walk back towards the hall. Pausing at the entrance where the black doors had been opened once more, he looked back to where Pegasus was still standing.

"Goodbye Mr Crawford...thank you for the opportunity sir." Pegasus nodded absently and the white haired youth disappeared out of the doors, closing them quietly behind him. The red suited man was still looking towards the photos when he sensed the other person who had entered the room from the side balcony.

"What did you think of the new boy Seto?" he asked teasingly, still not looking towards the tall figure that stood behind him. The question received a clear "Humph."

"Tsk tsk now Kaiba boy." Pegasus seemed to take great delight in the growl that originated from the trench coated brunette. "I'd prefer a clear answer from you for once."

"He certainly looks the part, better eye candy than the average lot you employ." Seto's tone was grudging as he voiced his thoughts on Ryou. "However pretty he looks though, he doesn't have the temperament to survive in this world." He gave a contemptuous snort. "He's too god-damned timid, he even got scared of your little rant about how gorgeous he was." The snort was repeated. "I give him a month, maybe two before he runs out crying. I don't fancy any of the new one's odds. Quality has gone down." Seto sat himself down on the chair Pegasus had previously vacated, idly re-arranging some of the photos before him.

Pegasus smirked and came to perch on the corner of the desk, ignoring the fact that this model was treating him like an equal. As one of the two most sought after models in the company, Kaiba Seto was allowed to do what most could not. Only Ryuuji Otogi had the same privileges. "But he's so pretty, he'd be such an asset to the company and we'd get all the benefits of his company," the company owner purred, eyes half hooded.

Kaiba just grunted. "It's no fun if he doesn't fight back. It's not a challenge."

Pegasus leaned forwards, only inches between the two men's faces, a cat like smile on his face. "You wanted a birthday present. There you go. You can have the pretty British boy. You can handle his career, groom him in your own image, do what you want to him, if he lets you of course. You hold his modelling life in your hands. He is yours." Pegasus withdrew, sliding gracefully of the desk and brushing down the soft material of his suit. "Happy Birthday Kaiba Boy." Swiftly, he exited the room, leaving a pensive Kaiba, still sitting at the desk.

Sitting up, the brunette swiftly shuffled through the most recent files dumped in the overflowing in tray. Pulling out a brown envelope, he slid out the photos that were enclosed inside, as well as the standard information sheets all employees were required to fill in. Kaiba settled back in the well padded sheet, leafing through the sheets of paper.

"Bakura Ryou...eighteen...Domino..." The young model sipped at a cup of coffee that was left on the desk, not caring that it was cold as he concentrated on reading the basic life story of the white haired model that he had watched from the veranda. Now the choice was, to make or to break his career. Perhaps showing that he could be a mentor to a younger one, turn a possibly hopeless case into a successful model, would be the turning point in his battle with Otogi for the inheritance of Golden Eye. With Pegasus wifeless and heirless, it was now up to him to choose between the two young men. Both were capable so it would be the little things that decided it.

Little things like Bakura Ryou in fact. The youngster was so naïve, he was sure to irritate the hell out Kaiba. But Pegasus had a point, he was so pretty. Maybe it would be worthwhile to play along for a bit. Worst come to worst, he should be able to have fun. However much he seemed to act like a cold hearted bastard, Kaiba loved to have fun. You know, drinking, dancing, crushing some young hopeful's dreams, same old, same old.

Not to mention that Kaiba already had Ryou down as a screamer. He always had preferred the vocal ones.

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Lell: Well, this was a fic born born out of randomness combined with boredom and the fact that I was having Internet withdrawal symptoms, but still having access to some fan art I had printed off. Resisting the urge to do some sort of Mokuba/Seto incest deeley, I decided to write a present for Ragdollsally. I hope you enjoyed it. Anyway, please review. Hate, love or indifference, all are appreciated.

_Adara: But be constructive, please, mindless or pointless comments annoy me and when I get annoyed, people or things end up in the Shadow Realm, eh Seto?_

_Seto: (Sweatdrops) No comment..._

_Lell: Um, yes, anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I would like to say that Long Ragged Moan is at my house and it is her that gave me this sudden writer's splurge. It is also her who introduced me to , so I guess you can either hate her or love her. Hehehehe. Anyway, see you next chapter._


	2. New Faces and Old

Lell: Still no Internet – I'm writing this in advance before I actually posted Chapter One, so I'm still depressed and suffering from withdrawal symptoms. I have real problems – I can't even go a day without Internet, I had it yesterday and all I can think about is my e-mail and fanfiction updates....yes, I'm sad. This is worrying.

_Seto: I'll say, your alter ego has an alter ego!_

_Lell: Shush! They must not know the truth! They must not know the truth! (Runs around in circles for a bit)_

_Adara: Um...anyway...(Blinks innocently) I didn't slip her extra coffee..._

_Seto: You gave her caffeine!!! What the hell are you thinking! She's as bad as Yuugi on sugar._

_Adara: Oh, I gave him some pixie sticks by the way..._

_Yuugi: Seto-Kun!!!!! (Tackles and glomps a lot)_

_Seto: Gah! Get the midget off of me! Yuugi what is your obsession with sitting on my stomach?_

_Yuugi: But Seto-Kun, you have such a nice stomach! Do you work out?_

_Seto: o0 I swear this was supposed to be a fic with Ryou. Last time I checked, Ryou wasn't a midget with insane hair and freaky eyes._

_Yuugi: (Shrugs) Ryou-Kun and I share things....and just remember, if you insult the way I look, you're insulting Yami..._

_Seto: Meep..._

_Lell: Ahem, sorry about that. Anyway, I would just like to say, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. If I did...well, I don't want to scare you off with my twisted fantasies._

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"So, you gotta be the new guy," a voice drawled, Brooklyn accent apparent in the voice of the stranger.

Ryou turned and looked curiously at the one who had spoken to him. "I thought we were all new employees here." Recognition hit him. This was the man whose photo had been near his, the blonde that made him want to laugh. Unknowingly, his countenance lightened somewhat and he broke into a shy smile.

The blonde chuckled and thrust a tanned hand towards the teen. "I'm Jonouchi Katsuya, but you can call me Jou. I'm not a rookie like you guys, Pegasus just sent me down here to mingle doncha know? I'm supposed to be introducing you all to the joy that is modelling and all that." His tone was gently mocking, a humorous voice to listen to.

Ryou took the proffered hand and was surprised to find the grip a reassuring one, not limp and lifeless, nor challenging and forceful. It was just a nice handshake, but then again, he obsessed too much on the little things, everybody said so. "I'm Bakura Ryou."

Dropping Jou's hand, the white haired teen looked around the room, looking at the occupants from under lowered lids. There were about twenty or so people in the spacious room, but all of them possessed some physical quality that the talent scouts had spotted and pounced upon. He was in a room filled with beautiful people, with models in fact and he was one of them. No one had questioned him being here, they had simply accepted it. He stood a little straighter, feeling more at ease.

"You're really cute you know?" The blonde spoke suddenly, cocking his head to one side and looking at Ryou appraisingly. The teen flushed slightly and sidled from side to side. "Don't act like you don't know, people have gotta have told you before." Jou's tone was warm, even teasing as he chucked Ryou under the chin, effectively causing him to look into dancing amber eyes.

The white haired teen smiled tentatively; still unaware of how adorable he looked when doing this. "Yuugi and Malik...they're my roommates, they always said...you know, but I never believed them..until.." He looked around once more. He had been accepted. "Well, maybe, I mean there must have been something that Pegasus liked." He lapsed into silence, but looked up again, startled when he heard startled laughter.

"Bakura, I hate to burst your bubble, but you're gorgeous." The taller man flopped down onto one of the cream couches that lined the walls, propping his long legs up carelessly on the soft material. Noting that the blonde wore jeans like himself, a worrying niggle at the back of Ryou's mind went away. When he first entered the building, he had felt seriously underdressed since he was wearing plain blue jeans and a modestly cut white shirt. Jou may have been wearing low slung darker jeans and a tight t-shirt, but it was still casual compared to what some of the others were wearing. Leather seemed to be very popular material among the male models, while anything went among the females.

"Am I?" Ryou asked absently, watching a particularly scantily clad specimen work her way around the room, making obvious passes at all the men she met.

Jou chuckled once more, rubbing his chin with thoughtful fingers. "I'd do you."

This was surprising enough to jerk Ryou from his people watching and he looked nervously at the blonde, unsure as to whether the man was teasing again. It was only a few moments later that the full implications of what he had said hit Ryou. "Y-you're gay?" He spoke the last word as a hiss, almost as if he were embarrassed.

Another laugh exploded from Jou's lips and he wiped a tear away from his cheek. "Yep," he said cheerfully, resting his hands at the nape of his neck.

Ryou sat down on the corner of the couch and drew circles on his thigh, not looking at the blonde. "So...are there many gay models in the business?"

Jou shrugged, idly inspecting his fingernails. "Surprisingly no. To my knowledge and you'll soon find out that I know everything," He grinned and continued on. "To my knowledge, there are only about five of us queers in the model department." He frowned slightly, trying to think. "Well, there's me of course...and then there's Yami and Marik. Those two are wild cards alright." He ticked the names off on one hand. "Oh, how could I forget? Our resident hot shots, the big wigs themselves, Kaiba Seto and Otogi Ryuuji. I think that makes five if I've counted right. Unless," He smirked at Ryou. "If I'm right there are six now, are there not?"

Ryou flushed and looked down at his folded hands. "Yeah..."

Jou laughed softly, leaning up to punch Ryou gently in the shoulder. "No need to be so shy about it. They don't hold it against us in any way."

The shorter youth blushed again, looking around in an effort to change the subject.

"Mr Crawford certainly has good taste." He said finally, nodding towards the glimmering expanse of glass and flowing sheets of water. "The whole corporation is just...beautiful. It wasn't the image I had of a modelling studio-.."

He was cut off by peals of merry laughter that originated from Jou. The blonde was holding his sides and rolling around on the couch. Ryou wasn't sure if he was about to have a heart attack or die from lack of oxygen. The other people in the room looked at him in pretty much the same way as the British boy was, a look which said they were slightly freaked out, but too polite to leave.

Sitting up, Jou stifled his chortles.

"Mr Crawford? Peggy has to have the worst design taste ever. He can bring out someone's good looks, however much of a car crash they are, but when it comes to furnishing?" He smirked. "You saw his private rooms didn't you? No, it certainly wasn't him who planned the building. Credit goes to our resident architectural genius Kaiba Seto."

Looking slightly less freaked out, Ryou settled down more comfortably on the cream plushness of the couch, stroking it gently with one finger.

"It's certainly a wonderful design, he must be really talented." Okay, that even sounded corny to himself, but Jou didn't seem to notice, an odd expression in his amber eyes.

"Yeah...he's gotta be one of the two most popular models in the whole business." The slender youth grinned suddenly and sat up, bouncing slightly as he sat cross legged across from Ryou. "Not to mention he looks like the essence of sexiness impaled on a stick. Working with him certainly is easy on the eyes."

This startled a chuckle out of Ryou and the smaller man became aware of a slight growling in his stomach. "Is there any food anywhere?"

Jou made a disgusted face. "There are things which are available to eat, but I'm not sure if I would call them food. That is unless you count water crackers with goat's cheese and pancetta. Get used to this honey, now you're a model, you have to survive on the anorexic model diet. You'll se them take the food, you'll see them look at the food. If you're lucky, you may see them poke it with a fork, but you won't see them eat." He looked towards the trays where the slivers of what looked like grey paper, covered with a watery white substance and shuddered. "Me, I eat real food, proper stuff you can get your teeth into." Looking scornful, he proceeded to flip off the tray of unappetizing hors'deuves, succeeding in making Ryou laugh once more.

"I know what you mean; one of my room-mates is a chef and I live off his food. Luckily, I can pretty much eat what I want without worrying too much." Unconsciously proving his point, he rubbed a hand across his flat abdomen, causing his shirt to ripple upwards slightly. Jou grinned, not quite drooling, but close. He reached across to place his hand over Ryou's teasingly increasing the pressure, resulting in an increased flow of blood to the smaller man's cheeks. He really was so kawaii.

"Oooh, this looks fun. Can I join in?" a voice purred, an overly sensual voice. Ryou and Jou looked up to see a skeletal brunette leaning over them, a leering smile pasted on her face. It was the one that Ryou had been observing earlier. Obviously, her hormonal circuit had brought her to them. She was attractive yes, she had to be to have been employed by the agency, but her good looks were smothered by the amount of make up she wore. _Too much foundation_ Ryou thought to himself, attempting to hide a look of faint disgust. _Not to mention the lips are too overdone – she's have been better off with just a slick of gloss._

The girl grinned ferally, smoothing down the blue iridescence of her mini skirt, if you could call it a skirt. It was more of a belt than anything and what was scary was that she had probably intended it to be that way. A leopard print halter neck clung to her skinny torso, the back plunging to reveal a large expanse of creamy skin. Well, one could see that she desperately wanted to be a model and her idea of making it big was to show off as much as possible of her body. It may have had a chance on a straight man, but all she was doing was repulsing Ryou and amusing Jou.

Smirking, the blonde made an obvious show of removing his hand slowly and sitting up. He knew the type and was opening his mouth to deliver a blistering retort when another voice did it for him.

"Anzu! Have you no shame?" A scolding tone could be heard as another female bore down on them. Ryou wasn't surprised to see that it was the one from the photo near his on Pegasus's collage, the only female to have stood out to him. Instead of the exceedingly thin body of the one called Anzu, the blonde was curvy, even voluptuous. A purple skirt suit clung to her compact frame, the indigo jacket undone to reveal a white corset style top that in turn exposed a moderate amount of shapely bosom. This was a different style of woman, one who was comfortable with her body, with the way she looked.

As opposed to the poor creatures who seemed to need to advertise themselves.

That...creature pouted and glared at the approaching blonde. "But Mai-.."

She was cut off abruptly. "No buts! You've had enough 'fun' for one day!" The woman seemed to be called Mai and her voice was mocking, disdain evident though the blue eyed brunette did not seem to notice as she stalked away, angry as a balked cat. Turning kohl-lined violet eyes towards the blonde and the whitenette, Mai gave a brilliant smile, smirk lingering even after that expression had finished.

"Well hello boys," she said cheerfully, flicking her blonde curls deftly over one shoulder. "I'm Mai by the way. You must be Jonouchi Katsuya – I recognise you from that Nike advert in the centre of town." Jou grinned lazily.

"Guilty as charged my darling." He waved a languid hand at Ryou who smiled and dipped his head in greeting. "This is Bakura Ryou, a rookie like yourself."

Mai laughed throatily, once more flicking her golden curtain of silk backwards. "I'm only a rookie in this company. I was formerly employed at Versace, but I decided I didn't want to be tied down to simply fashion advertising. Golden Eye offers many more opportunities for someone like me."

Jou's eyes lit up and he leaned forwards eagerly. "Ah, but surely the pay musta been better at Versace, I mean come on! You were working for a designer. That always adds perks."

"Ah, but I wasn't getting enough freedom. The models didn't get much of a say in the shoot, it was all so heavily choreographed anyway. I'm much too young to be tied down to one company, to one way of making a photo."

Ryou looked slightly bemused as the two went into shop talk mode. Phrases like 'artistic freedom' and 'increasing portfolio depth went write over his head so he amused himself by once more people watching. Odd that the first few people he had met had been completely the opposite of what he had expected. Jou was, well, to his surprise, Jou had been human. That was to say he hadn't acted as if a rookie like Ryou was beneath him. And Mai, well, for such a confident person, she had certainly been friendly enough, not to mention she had saved him from the grasps of Anzu.

"Bakura? You still awake man?"

The voice of Jou startled the rookie out of his musings and he flashed the pair an apologetic grin, playing with a white strand of hair. "Hmmm? Oh yeah, I'm still here." The barest tint of pink coloured his pale cheeks, inciting a delighted laugh from Mai as she stood up, stretching her back to one side.

"Well, it looks like get-to-know-your-rival-day is coming to an end so I might as well split. You want a lift anywhere hun?"

Jou shook his head, also standing as he brushed down his jeans. "Nah, I have a shoot with Otogi. Lucky me." His voice was sarcastic, but a slight twitch of his hands and twist of the lips betrayed something that resembled excitement.

Ryou hid a smile. "That would be great Mai, I had to walk here this morning."

Jou clapped the white haired teen on the shoulder, grinning amiably. "Well it was nice to meet ya Bakura." Nodding to Mai, he made a noble pose before strolling out of the room.

The blonde woman chuckled under her breath and motioned for Ryou to follow her as she rummaged in her purse, presumably for keys.

"Quite a character isn't he?"

Ryou laughed, trotting to keep up as he removed his hoodie from his waist, pulling it on. As his head poked out of the neck hole, hair all ruffled and messed, he replied, "Yeah, he seems nice though. One of the better characters in the room."

Mai snorted and rolled her eyes, "Huh, if you can say that most of those people had characters. I can tell you, half of them won't last a year, you can count on that." Running violet fingernails through her hair, she proceeded to drag Ryou towards the car park.

"Come on, we'd better get you home before Anzu sees you again."

Ryou shuddered and increased his pace. "Now that's a crime worse than death!"

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A soft click of the door opening announced Ryou's arrival home. It was late and he made an attempt to stay quiet, not wanting to disturb Yuugi and Malik if they were already asleep.

No such luck.

Two cannon balls hit him firmly in the stomach, knocking him down onto the polished wooden floor with a muffled "Ooof."

Opening his eyes, he looked up to see two grinning faces peering down at him and two pairs of eyes dancing expectantly, one pair lavender, the other violet. The two teens were perched on his abdomen, waiting for the white haired youth beneath them to catch his breath.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Ryou put on an aloof expression as he pressed his lips together. _Lets see how long it takes before they spontaneously combust out of curiosity, _he thought amusedly to himself.

The silence reined for a good few minutes before Malik cracked. "Oh go on, tell us how it went!" His lavender pools were wide, in an expression Ryou was sure he had stolen from Yuugi. The teen with tri coloured hair added his own pleading eyes, lips twisting into an adorable pout, but still the white haired youth resisted, though a smile played at the corners of his lips.

Yuugi and Malik shared a mischievous look. "I think this calls for stronger action." Yuugi said, his face straight.

"What, we tickle him?" Malik replied, brow creasing in a faint frown.

Yuugi chuckled and winked, an action that would have alerted Ryou if his eyes had been open. "No, worse."

The Egyptian finally caught on and an answering smirk spread across his dusky features. "Right, gotcha."

Before Ryou could protest, or even open his eyes, he felt two pairs of hands pinion his arms, his legs already being effectively immobilised since both men were sitting firmly on his limbs. Finally opening his chocolate eyes, he looked warily at his roommates.

He had a reason to be worried.

Suddenly, both men had launched themselves at his neck and with practiced mouths; they each proceeded to nip teasingly up and down the pale shaft of skin. Ryou squirmed, trying to get away from the leeches he had formerly known as Yuugi and Malik, but was pinned like a bug. He suppressed the urge to giggle as Malik tugged gently on his earlobe while Yuugi proceeded to draw circles down Ryou's neck with his tongue. This succeeded in making the slender teen writhe even more frantically. Surely this could be classed as torture.

As if acting on some unspoken cue, both the teens on top of him simultaneously trailed a hand up the inside Ryou's leg. Now this certainly wasn't fair! His struggles redoubled and the pair on top of him pulled back, looking down at him smugly.

"Why, Ryou-Kun," Yuugi said brightly as Malik licked his lips pointedly, "You wouldn't want to reconsider your reasoning on with-holding certain information now would you?"

Ryou saw no mercy in the lavender and violet eyes, his own chocolate ones rolling in resignation. Shoving them off him, he sat up, brushing the dust from his jeans. "You two really need to get boyfriends." He muttered, attempting to detangle his already mussed hair. "No, scrap that, you just need to get laid!"

Malik chuckled, reclining on the couch on which he had retreated to. "If you let me, I'm sure I could remedy that." Ryou's only response was to stick a very pink tongue in the direction of his teasing roommate. To be honest, the Egyptian had somewhat freaked the normally shy teen out, but Yuugi had convinced him that all of his sultry speak was in pure fun. Now, even Ryou could relax beside the eccentric blonde, he couldn't imagine a night out without him. Without either of them in fact. Moments like tonight sometimes made him question his sanity, his reasoning for living with them, but being the sweetheart he was, he would normally grin and bear it.

Yuugi had settled himself firmly on the couch as well, his tri coloured head nestled in Malik's lap as he beckoned for Ryou to come over. The white haired teen complied obediently, leaning with his back to the couch as he sat cross legged on the floor. Yuugi twisted so he was on his side, reaching out to idly stroke the snowy silk of the seated one's hair.

"So how was your day Ryou?" Malik asked, his eyes half closed as he rested long fingered hands on Yuugi's shoulders, the petite teen snuggling down into the Egyptian's lap.

Ryou, somewhat placated by Yuugi's relaxing pats, stretched his long legs out in front of him, closing his own eyes. "Pretty good actually. To keep it brief, I met my boss – complete whack job, but he seems nice enough. I met someone called Jou, a real friendly guy, he gave me lots of advice. Oh, and I got hit on my some girl." All three young men shuddered at the thought.

Malik yawned reaching down to tug on his own strand of white hair, his other hand pulling on one of Yuugi's golden bangs. "So what time do you guys have to be in tomorrow morning?"

Yuugi made a face at the prospect, wrinkling his nose up. "I've got a free first period so I don't have to be on campus until ten." The petite teen was currently studying medicine at university and for all his complaining, enjoying it greatly. He had still to decide his final course though – he was toying between being a General Practitioner or a Paediatrician.

Ryou smiled, still enjoying the caresses Yuugi was placing on his head. "I don't have to go back until eleven – a brief tour of the building and then I've got my first shoot."

"Anything specific?" Yuugi asked, sitting up slightly as he adjusted his low slung jeans.

"I've no idea actually. I think it's more like a taster session so I can get used to what they want from me and so they can see how I work." Ryou shrugged self consciously, turning to prod Malik in the side.

"And what time do you actually get off your lazy behind and go to the restaurant?"

The platinum blonde smirked lazily. "Actually, I've got the evening shift tomorrow so I can spend all day in bed. Care to join me?" The chef licked his lips suggestively. "Of course, you poor little souls will be at work."

Yuugi and Ryou shared a look, the taller one leaning back more firmly against the sofa as the smaller trailed a hand down the side of the other's face. "Don't worry darling, we'll find a way to have some fun while you're out." Ryou stifled a chuckle as Yuugi said this, batting innocent eyelids at the pouting Malik.

"Hey! No fair." His bottom lip trembled artfully. "If you must, I will require photos, a video and a blow by blow account."

The three looked at each other and fell into peals of laughter, clutching each other on and off the sofa, their faces buried in the forest green leather. Wiping a tear from his cheek, Ryou stood up, patting his two friends playfully on the head.

"Well, I need my beauty sleep." He looked cheekily at Malik and Yuugi, the taller one having pulled the other onto his lap. "You know, maybe it's because I'm always the first to go to bed that it was me that got the contract and not you." He stuck his tongue out at them and turned towards the door, hips swaying as he walked.

"Get him?"

"Get him." Ryou heard pounding feet and risked a glance behind him. Taking to his heels, he raced towards his room, with Yuugi and Malik close behind them. His plaintive cries echoed down the hall, coupled with the mocking calls of his roommates, all drowned out by the hysterical laughing and a loud crash as someone fell to the floor, dragging the others down with them. The penthouse reverberated with their playful antics, their carousing the figurative calm before the storm.

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Lell: Well, that's chapter two done. (Is still drooling after the complete kawainess of the last scene)

_Adara: (Rolls eyes) You're far too sappy, you know that?_

_Lell: And you've been spending far too much time with Seto._

_Adara: (Flushes and mutters something about the friendship being platonic)_

_Lell: (Snorts) Yeah right....honestly, cheating on Yami...._

_Seto: Actually, I'm pretty sure that Yami is currently cuddling with Kai._

_Lell: o0 My yami's yami is a slag._

_Adara: (Coughs embarrassedly) For those of you that don't know, Kai is my Yami from before I was Lell's Yami._

_Lell: (Mumbles) That makes my head hurt..._

_Kai: Everything makes your head hurts._

_Lell: Hey! That's not fair!_

_Kai: Whatever. (Returns to molesting Yami)_

_Lell: 00 I did not need to see that – he really is a slag.....anyway, on with the review answers._

_Wish he was Mine: Yes Tracee darling, you were the first. (Hands over a trophy) I know, I know, I do too much description....however, you are helping me with dialogue. Anyway, I have no idea what I was on when I wrote about Peggy's office (Hands over a pair of sunglasses) These might help...._

_Azuka Kano: Wow, someone as crazy as me – see Adara, I'm not the only one._

_Adara: XX Crap, there's more of them?_

_Lell: Don't be so rude! Anyway, thanks, but I am a description freak, mainly because I suck at dialogue._

_Ellie-Fate2x1-2: Yeah – in my other fic, Seto's kind of a softy so I decided to bring back the sadistic and manipulative Kaiba we all know and love. (Shifty eyes) This author cannot prevent all harm to certain white haired bishies. She can also neither affirm or deny it._

_Limpet666: Yay! You reviewed! At least you remembered, unlike Rene. (Growls) Anyway, yup Kaiba has a twisted idea of fine! XD And yes I will continue though I have numerous one-shot ideas floating around in my head. I think MalikSama cursed me with plot bunnies._

_Relinquished: Thanks, hope you liked this chapter._

_Lell: Well, now it's time to go off and write another chapter. And just to clarify, Yuugi, Malik and Ryou are just friends._

_Yuugi, Malik & Ryou: 00 Nooooooo!_

_Lell: Quiet you! This is supposed to be a Ryou/Seto fic._

_Ryou: (Brightens up and smiles happily)_

_Yuugi&Ryou: But what about us?_

_Lell: (Wicked grin) We'll see....._

_Yuugi&Ryou: (Sweatdrop and back away slowly)_

_Lell: Am I that scary?_

_Seto: No, Adara was waving her Kwan Dao about._

_Lell: Oh, okay. (Looks worried) I'd better go stop her before she hurts someone. See you next chapter._


	3. A Shootful of Surprises

Lell: (Bounces in throwing muffins at readers) Thank you so much – reviews are my soul, my blood, my oxygen...

_Seto: Your anti-drug?_

_Lell: (Shifty eyes) Yes...my anti-drug..._

_Adara: What my idiot of a hikari meant to say was thank you for all the reviews._

_Lell: (Pouts) You have been such a bitch ever since you started..ahem...hanging out with Tracee's Yami._

_Adara: (Shrugs) Live with it._

_Seto: o0 She's stolen my position of evil spectator!!!!_

_Adara: (Shrugs) Live with it._

_Lell: (Sigh) Well, I guess a shout out goes to Tracee aka Wish he was Mine. Thanks to her help on the role playing site in my user lookup, I was able to experiment with different Kaiba personalities. My conclusion...he's a schizo._

_Seto: Hey!_

_Lell: No, not you, the version of you in the story..._

_Seto: (Growls, but is somewhat placated) Just get on with the story._

_Lell: Fine...._

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"That's it! That's it! Now a little to the left..."

Ryou walked into the studio and was immediately struck by how much there was going on. It was astronomical. The space, the heat, the noise! The heat originated from the numerous arrays of lights, ranging from flood lamps to diminutive fairy lamps, all suspended from spidery black racks on little wheels. The combination of so many hot bulbs made the spacious room seem like the fiery pits of hell.

"Tilt your head up a bit, a little more...stop, there! Perfect!"

The building was partitioned off into spacious thirds, each having its own separate shoot going on within the moveable walls that formed the areas. Within each section, people were scurrying around busily, small, innocuous, grey clothed people who flocked around the still statues that were the models. The models themselves didn't seem to do much, simply standing there, allowing the nameless people around them to apply makeup, adjust the clothes, tease their hair into the elaborate coiffures. Like the Queens of some insect horde, the one which the others revered, the one for whom everyone else did everything, catering to every whim that they may come up with. A faint shiver ran down Ryou's spine at the sight of the tall, graceful people, a totally new breed to what he had been used to.

It was scary.

"Plant that foot strongly, no, yes, no, yes! Right there! No, don't look my way, focus on the bottle."

The first area that Ryou had to venture past was white, blindingly so. A snowy raised platform was set amidst a sea of what looked like drifting white balloons, the soft pearlescant sheen that they gave off providing a soft under glow, softening the sharp edges of the platform. That faint glow also softened the sharp edges of the person that was sprawled out on the platform.

Ryou recognised that distinctive hair do instantly, those unique peaks of black and red and the delicate locks of gold that framed and angled visage.

_Guess those pictures were useful, _the white haired teen thought idly, mind flicking back to the unsettling wall coated in pictures of beautiful faces, past and present. _I at least know people by face, even if it's not by name._

Out of his normal inquisitiveness and a deeper need to see what the Egyptian could do, Ryou paused in his wanderings, eager to see how the man would work.

He was beautiful. Breathtakingly so.

The man was shorter than he had expected and more slender, yet still possessing more muscle than the ever slim Ryou could ever hope to achieve. Petite, but intoxicating. Ryou couldn't keep his eyes off of that lissom frame.

This may have had something to do with the fact that the man was clothed in nothing more than a virgin white towel, pale against the expanse of tanned skin.

As Ryou came closer, it suddenly became apparent that the man was wet. Dripping wet. Doused from head to toe wet. Droplets fell from the peaks of his hair, the vibrant colours made all the more dramatic by the wetting of his tresses, the rivulets tracing a path down his lean torso to be soaked into the soft folds of the towel.

"Eyes on the bottle Yami, eyes on the bottle." The black clothed photographer was crouched in front of the platform, his camera looking upwards towards the figure sprawled on it. One leg casually cocked, the line of one smooth muscle apparent under the dusky skin as Yami propped himself up on one elbow, crimson eyes half hooded as he obligingly looked towards the convoluted crystal bottle that was set right at the front of the platform.

"Perfect." Seeming to have come to some sort of conclusion in his shoots, the photographer straightened, leaning down to ruffle the wet spikes of Yami's hair. "Good work dude, same as always." Their ensuing conversation sank into inaudible murmurings as Ryou passed on, heading into the next area.

In this one, the shoot was still in preparation, though Ryou noticed a friendly face. Mai waved at him, keeping her face still as the make up artist gave the finishing touches. "Hey Bambi, get your sweet ass over here."

Ryou, predictably, flushed and sidled over as Mai shooed away the hovering make up artist, sliding gracefully out of her chair and looping an arm around the younger teen's shoulders.

"Bambi?" he asked quizzically, looking up into those dancing violet eyes.

The blonde chuckled. "You have those big eyes and I think you'd freeze in a car's headlights." Rewarded by a deepening of that blush and the automatic dipping of his head, Mai removed her arm, straightening her clothes. Dressed as the American Dream, the blonde woman was clothed in dark, low slung jeans that clung to her long legs, the denim worn and faded, the ends tattered where they had been ground into the earth, well, at least where the stylists had recreated the effect anyway. The white strappy top highlighted Mai's breasts, skin creamy against the snow of the vest and the red bandanna that covered the curled masses of blonde hair. It was a real red, white and blue outfit and Mai looked stunning.

She nodded towards the set where the crew were busily winching down a backdrop of what looked like an Arizona highway, working awkwardly around the powder blue Cadillac that was parked on the makeshift road, right in front of a rather large wind machine.

"Tommy Hilfiger today." She said proudly, tossing her hair and resting a hand on one proudly cocked hip, "Moving onto the big names."

Looking at the blonde, Ryou could see why she had been chosen for the typically American advert; she was a vibrant, modern Marilyn Monroe with a timeless quality of her own. He watched idly as Mai hugged him again, somehow managing to ruffle his white hair without misplacing one hair on her own golden head, then strolling off towards where the impatient crew were waiting. The model listened to what the photographer was saying, amiably nodding as she proceeded to hop up onto the car hood, sitting nonchalantly on the bonnet as they started the wind machine up.

With strands of her hair escaping the confines of the scarlet bandanna, falling forward to halo her face, she leaned back on her hands, tilting her head back slightly. Those violet eyes looked towards him and Mai winked slowly, jewel tipped lashes flashing in the light of the camera that caught the action on frame.

"Lovely Mai, a few more like that and we've got this in the boot."

Ryou smiled in spite of his nervousness, shifting his shoulder bag until it was more comfortably set across his chest, turning and walking towards the final sector, the one he had been told to arrive at today. Of course, he had been paranoid and underestimated the time it would take to get here, making him an hour early. No, correction, he was now only half an hour early.

But then again, he didn't seem to be the only early bird.

"Yo, Bambi." A familiar Brooklyn-toned voice rang out from where a sleepy looking Jou was lounging, catlike in a folding chair. His hair was sleep tousled, strands cascading into half hooded amber eyes.

Ryou nearly choked on his own tongue, spluttering for a few moments as he walked over to look down at the owlishly blinking blonde. Finally catching his breath, he managed to splutter between chokes, "Why does everyone call me Bambi?"

A still vacant-looking Jou shrugged, yawning widely as he tilted back in the chair. "I dunno...just sommat that Mai was saying...sommat about big eyes and deer..." His words were interrupted by another wide yawn.

Ryou looked resigned, still wondering at the mentality of the people he had been thrown in with. Maybe what people said about blondes were right, wait, technically he was classed as a blonde...this was making his head hurt. Obediently sitting in the chair that Jou had pulled up for him, he bounced his worn shoulder bag on his knees nervously.

"So how's your first week been?" Jou suddenly asked, seeming to wake up momentarily. His amber eyes were curious, even if they were still sleepy.

The white haired teen tilted his head to one side, effectively curtaining his shy face with his unruly snow white hair.

"Busy actually. My first shoot was hectic to say the least."

Jou looked sympathetic, half asleep, but still sympathetic. "Yeah, I heard 'bout dat. Anzu, huh? Bad luck."

Ryou shuddered at the memory. "Tell me about it...so what's on for today, I only got the times, not the details."

The blonde smiled lazily, a pink tongue running experimentally over his teeth. "Perfume ad, Hugo Boss I think. They wanted three of us, so dere's you, me and, well you'll just have to see." The smile turned into an infuriatingly friendly smirk.

Ryou rolled his chocolate eyes.

"Jou, you can be a real ass sometimes." Over the week, the normally shy teen had blossomed under the blonde's careful probing, his disarmingly charming personality drawing out the real Ryou from under the self conscious exterior. This alone allowed him to be candid and pert around the friendly teen, much like when he was with Yuugi or Malik.

"Yeah, I know, but you still love me."

Repeating his earlier eye roll the whitenette drummed restless fingers on his thigh, impatient to begin as he looked around the area. No clues were visible as to what they were going to be doing, the set was bare and only the cameras were set up.

"Yeah, we're a bit early." Jou said, noting Ryou's eyeline, "Things are always rushed."

Ryou nodded understandingly, propping his smooth chin on one hand as he let out his own yawn, Jou's being contagious. "Tell me about it." His mind wandered back to that disastrous shoot with the hormonal brunette, trying to forget the way the photographer had requested them to look 'loving.' That in itself had been interesting to say the least.

Lost in his musings, the whitenette failed to notice his companion wake up rather suddenly, straightening into a semblance of alertness. Jou ran a nervous hand through his honeyed strands of hair, amber eyes gaining a frantic cast. Ryou only became aware that they had company when he heard voices, raised in dispute.

"Listen _Ryuuji_," an irate voice said, tone icy cold.

"No, you listen Kaiba-boy, I don't need you hovering over me waiting for me to cock up. I'm just as experienced as you now get the fuck off my set." This voice, instead of being cold, burnt with an indignant rage.

Ryou saw Jou wince and shivered accordingly, disturbed by the two different sorts of anger that he could hear, looking around for their source. He found it all right.

Two men were striding towards their set, faces equally thundercloud like as they looked angrily at each other. They were the two from the centre of that disturbing collage in Pegasus' office, that montage to all who had once passed through these doors. The memory made the whitenette shiver slightly, but he forced himself to concentrate on the approaching pair.

The taller of the two, he was the ice eyed brunette that he had been drawn to a week ago. He was still beautiful, even now, rage adding to his charismatic looks. Immaculately dressed in black trousers and a blindingly white shirt, he cut a crisp figure compared to the more gypsy like style of the man next to him.

The blacknette still wore that recognisable bandanna, his onyx tresses framing the angry face that lurked beneath them. Emerald eyes glittered, narrowed in a feline look that did not bode well for the brunette. The shorter man was dressed in tight black jeans, as well as a similar shirt to the brunette's, but his was red and more closely fitted, buttons undone to reveal a fair amount of well toned chest.

"Trust me, I wouldn't be here if Pegasus thought you could cope on your own," the brunette said, voice becoming colder if anything.

"If that's so, why does he keep asking me to watch over your shoots?" the blacknette sneered, dumping a bag on the chair next to Ryou, making the smaller youth jump. The older man paid no attention to him, though a once again sleepy Jou did snicker something that sounded suspiciously like Bambi.

The brunette looked coldly back at the one called Ryuuji, though for a brief instant blue eyes met his own and Ryou's breath caught in his throat. Not for any instant love or fluttering of heart, but merely because the pure and unadulterated bio thermal coldness in those blue eyes could put a glacier to shame. And that was only from a few, tiny moments of eye contact, not to mention that the ice attack was not directed at him.

Ryou actually cringed for the blacknette, not wanting to imagine what, Kaiba was it, was going to do to him. This meant he was more than a little surprised when-

"Fine then, you set things up and I'll be back to inspect later." Kaiba said crisply, turning on one black shoed heel and striding over to Mai's shoot.

Ryou blinked and turned confused brown eyes on the two veterans, curious as to see how they reacted. Jou just rolled amber eyes and returned to his half awake, half asleep pose. Ryuuji just didn't seem to care, making a full frontal U-turn from anger to business like calm.

"Right, set up crew, now."

As if from no-where, several black clothed people scurried in and began to arrange the shooting area, cameras being wheeled in with clumps of tangled leads trailing behind them. Rou watched, with his customary wide eyes as Ryuuji launched into a conversation with the beret clad man he took to be the head stylist.

"Yah, yah, three people, I see it now." He pronounced with a heavy Dutch accent. _I thought they only spoke like that in the movies....next I'll be told his name's Paolo._

"Bakura."

Ryou snapped to attention, quickly stumbling to his feet and trotting over to where the expectant blacknette was waiting, an absent thought given to how he had picked up his name, but...._Oh crap why, is Paolo looking at me like that?_

"Tenshi, this is Bakura Ryou, the one Pegasus was talking about."

Oh, no luck on the Paolo front....huh? Pegasus? Me? Oh crap.

"Ah, ze little one with ze pretty face?"

Um, this is bordering on creepy, one more step and... 

"Really? I thought Mr P was in raptures over his cute toosh."

...There we go, entering Creepsville USA.

Ryou flushed when he heard Jou give a lazy chuckle, the blonde having approached silently, looping a long arm around the smaller man's shoulder.

"Ah, quit messing with him Otogi, he's just a newbie."

Ryou was surprised to see that the blacknette didn't explode to this rather informal way of address, instead cuffing the puppyish male over the head lightly.

"I'm not messing, I'm quoting."

"Well quit doing whateva then." Jou loosened his grip around Ryou, resting his hands at the back of his head, grinning lazily at the blacknette.

Or is it just laziness? He didn't smile like that at me? 

Otogi returned the smile, white teeth flashing in sharp contrast to his dark locks.

"Fine..." he sighed in mock defeat, tilting his head playfully to one side.

Man, this is confusing....

"Yo, Bambi, you asleep dere?" Jou said, nudging the whitenette with his hip.

"Huh? Oh, right, sorry." Ryou automatically dipped his head, hiding a red flush behind a curtain of white hair.

"Now, what was it you had in mind Tenshi?" Otogi had made another dramatic mood swing, becoming brisk once more.

The Dutch man grinned brightly, waving a hand around in what Ryou took to be an artistic manner.

"I 'ave it all sorted out, your clothes are on ze rack."

With bustling sweeps of his arm, he nudged all three over to a rack where several outfits were hung. Ryou was ready to go into raptures at the sight of those clothes, the labels, the gorgeous materials...

God, I'm so gay.

"Go, scoot, get changed." Tenshi ordered, pointing imperiously towards a small area partitioned off. Not having much choice in the matter, Ryou followed the two veterans, hooking the outfit clearly labelled with his name off the cart.

Once inside, Jou twitched the curtain closed and took a good look at his outfit.

"Not bad," he said admiringly, finger twisting the waistband of a pair of jeans to look at the label. "Not bad at all. What about yours Bambi?"

Ryou flushed as Otogi quirked a quizzical brow while simultaneously stripping off his shirt, bandanna fluttering to the floor in the process.

"Bambi?" he questioned, shooting a dry look at the newbie.

"Nickname." Jou explained, pulling his t-shirt over his head as well, mussing his already tousled hair. "Sommat Mai came up with, suits him, ne?" The blonde cast an appreciative look at Otogi's now bare chest, a fact the blacknette noticed and seemed to take great pleasure in.

Ryou looked on, entranced by the pair who seemed to be such seasoned workers.

That's what I want to be. That's how I want to work.

"Hey Bambi, ya gonna get changed or what?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks Jou."

"No prob buddy. Hey Otogi, you need help with that shirt?"

The whitenette suppressed a grin, moving into the corner and undoing his own shirt finally, fingering the label, recognising it as one that Yuugi and Malik had given him.

I will do this. I will succeed. I won't be a photo with an X.

From the set where Mai was just finishing up, Kaiba shot a glance towards the curtained off area, seeing a shadowy figure through the curtain.

He will make it, as long as he toughens up. No way am I going to let that jacked up excuse for a model Ryuuji and his little protégé. I will succeed and the little white haired one is my key to success.

Blue eyes hardened and the beautiful, successful, terrible man set his jaw stubbornly.

I will win. He will not escape.

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Lell: (Cringes and grovels) I am so sorry for the long time it took for me to update. School's a real bitch and I'm going through some hard shit at home. Guy troubles and all that. Maybe I should just give up on them and go for girls. Another source of trouble for me, but we'll skip over that – I assume you're reading this for the crass story line, not to hear me ramble on about my own personal problems. (Sigh) Right, anyway, sorry for lateness again, but I've also been ill and you can't really type when you're on the verge of throwing up.

...

...

...

You also didn't need to know that. God, I'm crap at this so I'm just going to head right into the reviews.

For Chapter One 

Relinquished: Hey, thanks for the cute review, I'm glad you liked it. The modelling idea came randomly to me....I'm weird like that XD

Ralphiere: For now the twisted plots are staying firmly in my head for now. Thanks for being so understanding, although I think there are some people at there screaming at me to continue my other fic...I just can't seem to write anything about love right now. Oh look, there I go rambling again. Hope you enjoyed.

TinyClownBean1: Heehee, glad you like it. Me? Wonderful? I don't know what to say...I'm just glad someone thinks so.

Ragdollsally: Yay! I'm sorry about your Internet, I was worried you didn't like it or something after you hadn't reviewed. This is your story sweetie and I'm ecstatic that you like it. TOODLES!

For Chapter Two 

Johnny-Depp-Luv: Um, I'm glad you like this story, but I think I clearly stated that it was going to be a Seto/Ryou fic, not a Seto/Jou one. Sorry, but I'm not gonna change it, I've planned it too much.

TinyClownBean1: I did write more, it just took me ages o0;;; Sorry about that. Awww, well aren't you a sweetie? Thanks for the cute review.

MotherCHOWGoddes: Oh...dear...Lord...(Has fan girly fit about you reviewing) A chapter for Midnight sounds wonderful. I wish someone would draw me some purdy pictures, that would be divine...eep, don't wave that thing at me! As I am commonly told, I'm a description freak....I'm not sure whether that's good or bad.

Ralphiere: Well....I was fast....(Sweatdrops) Anyway, I read it, loved it, reviewed it XD Thanks for your ever kind praise, it's people like you who make writing worthwhile.

Elle-Fate2x1-2: Weren't the hikaris so god damn sweet? It's not hard to write about them when they are so.

SoulDreamer: Hey, short, but sweet review, love it.

Clingy: Um, do I use big words? My English teacher says my vocabulary isn't big enough...oh well.

Wish he was Mine: Hehe, cute hat Tracee. (Pouts) Am I not good enough for a nice, long review....ah well, I gave you credit at the top, so enjoy.

Amichanfan12345: Hehe, glad you liked it love. No internet? Oh, poor baby!

Blank Slate: Shush, don't tell anyone, you never know what I might do with those three....

Relinquished: Hmm, I feel guilty for being slow now. Hope you enjoyed.

Ryu: I don't normally bash Anzu, it just tied in well with this story.

Ragdollsally: Heehee, your reviews are so fun! And yes, I am saying sorry to Jou for all the crap I'm putting him through in my other fic. The hikaris are just cute anyway, the writing flows naturally. Be patient love, Ryou will meet our favourite bastard soon enough.

Eve of Misery: Another short review, the shortest ever in fact, but thanks!

BobGod: Yay! A gold star! (Puts it on proudly)

Lomedraug Daughter of Midnight: Hehe, same thing about Anzu as for Ryu, but thanks all the same.

Lell: Well, sorry for the wait again, and if you all nag me enough, I might actually get around to writing the next chapter of Of Puppies, Dragons and Foxes. (Sigh) I just don't have enough time anymore.

Kai: Awwww, I guess since Adara's turned all evil and Seto-like, I'm the nice, inspiring muse now.

Lell: Yeah, guess you are now...gimme a hug.

Adara: Pah, weakling, you can't even find time to write anymore.

Lell: Geez, I can't believe you're my alter ego!

Adara: The feelings mutual.

Kai: Now now, Adara, you might want to be nicer, unless you want us to get everyone to call you 'Dara.

Adara: (Gasp) You wouldn't???

Lell: (Evil grin) Oh I would....and on that note, I will see you guys next chapter, though right now I'm working on a fun Marik and Malik oneshot. All I'll say for now is that it takes place in hospital and our favourite Egyptian needs a little healing. Everyone go awwww....

(Crickets chirp)

Lell: (Pouts) Fine, be like that. Oh and once again, I'd like to thank Wish he was Mine, simply because she's a darling and she deserves due credit. This one's for you honey.


	4. The Light between the Darks

Ack, I'm soooooo sorry for the long update. I had severe writer's block on this and I was concentrating on my other fics. Good point is, I finally finished Puppies, Dragons and Foxes, bad news is, I probably will only be able to upload this story about once every two or three weeks – as I said, schoolwork blows!

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"Hey Jou….um….how do I look?" Ryou had voiced this comment tentatively after several minutes spent frowning at his outfit, unsure of how he looked.

Jou turned around, breaking off the conversation he had been having with one of the stylists, bending his knees slightly so she could apply some last minute care to his honeyed hair.

The blonde still retained his laid back appearance, emphasised by the baggy jeans that we wore, material faded and spattered with some kind of white paint down one anti-fit leg, peetering off into the rumpled folds that pooled around his sneakered feet. A red and white checked shirt billowed open to reveal the black vest which was stark against the golden expanses of skin revealed.

Drop dead gorgeous of course, but in a place like this, everyone was.

Ryou flushed slightly as amber eyes trailed over his skinny form, shivering due to the physicality of the look. He could almost feel the eyes travelling over him and it was not a sensation that he was used to.

When Jou let out an appreciative whistle, a lazy grin hovering over his face as he continued to look Ryou over, taking every inch of his tense form. White locks tumbled out from under a black skull cap, pale against his tresses which framed his face. Gaze falling lower, amber eyes travelled over the rest of the model's attire. The stylists had obviously had a field day with their subject's pale colouring and had dressed him accordingly, the black clothes contrasting wonderfully with his alabaster skin.

Black jeans hung low on his slender hips, the denim material fitting close to his coltish legs, as did the black sleeveless teeshirt that he wore on his torso. The top rippled as he moved, occasionally riding up to reveal a line of fluid stomach muscles, half obscured by the jacket arms knotted loosely around his waist.

Black of course.

The whitenette flushed again as Jou looked up at him with a lazy grin, teeth flashing in his tanned face.

"Stunning Bambi, absolutely gorgeous. Drop dead in fact." As the blonde voiced his thoughts, Ryou ducked his chin in embarrassment, a feeling deepened by the chuckles drawn from the final member of the group.

"Very nice," Otogi commented dryly, pulling a strand of fluff out of his dark tresses, peering around Jou to get a good look at the black-clothed angel in front of them. The experienced model was more radically clothed, leather trousers skin tight as was his Native American style shirt. The cream material formed a triangular panel that extended down his front and sides, the neckline wide and revealing the sharp line of his clavicles while the angular beadwork twined sinuously around his torso, the garment clinging to a firmly chiselled chest. ((A/N: Think Silva from Shaman King if you've seen it))

Assaulted from all sides by admiring looks, compliments he was unused to, the whitenette mumbled some incomprehensible reply, flushing crimson to the roots of his snowy tresses.

One would have thought he'd have gotten used to the praise by now, but apparently not.

Jou just chuckled and was in the process of reaching out to nude Ryou teasingly, fingers aimed towards his cheek, but another hand quickly batted it away. Otogi coughed evasively as two pairs of surprised eyes were turned towards him, but it was a while before he released Jou's wrist.

"Anyway…we should probably be heading out," he said dryly, nodding towards where a group of people had assembled at their stage area. A surprisingly large number of people actually.

"Man, quite an audience," Jou commented, but his eyes were clearly battling not to look back towards a certain other black haired model.

"Yeah." On the contrary, Otogi seemed even more relaxed than before, more laid back as he nodded at the crowd in mention. "I think Mai's waiting there, not to mention Yami…and all their little people."

"'Togi," Jou scolded, slapping the darker man lightly on the shoulder, "You don't call the crew the 'little people!"

"Why not?" The two were already moving out of the partitioned off area, their banter drifting back to a surprised Ryou.

"Why not? Because it's rude! You need them!"

"I employ them, of course I don't need them." Otogi sounded smugly teasing and Jou let out a frustrated growl.

"You're impossible you know?"

A lazy quicksilver grin. "'Course, I'm a model."

Ryou chuckled in spite of himself as he trotted off after the two, long legs quickly bringing him level with the two taller males. Regarding the crowd with wide eyes, he allowed them to gain a lead of about half a step, effectively concealing himself behind them. The shy youth still wasn't sure about crowds…and this was a hum dinger of a group of people.

Jou noted his reticence and, in his customary direct manner, snaked an arm around Ryou's waist, drawing him close. "They won't bite."

_Otogi might…_he thought nervously as he noted the way the dark haired model was looking at him. _Better keep my hands off Jou… _Smiling nervously, Ryou went limp, giving in and allowing himself to be drawn towards the waiting group of photographers, Tenshi among them.

And how did he know that Tenshi was there, well…

"Ah, zere you are my darlings," he carolled cheerfully, waving them enthusiastically over, past the crowd barrier. "Zchop, zchop, come on now."

Stunned by someone who could actually get their tongue around the word 'zchop,' Ryou followed, feeling Jou push him down into one of those little canvas director's seats, the blonde and the blacknette also pulling their own up as they turned expectant eyes towards Tenshi.

"Right," the Dutch man said, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "Zis is how it eez going to go – it's going to be faaabulous my darlings, heavenly…"

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It was heavenly.

At least if was if you considered being in close proximity to two gorgeous males heavenly. Very close proximity, very gorgeous. Suffice to say, Ryou was enjoying it.

The three were perched on the set the crew seemed to have constructed out of thin air. Warm hued brick steps led up to a fibreboard building front, but when you had Ryou, Jou and Otogi all sitting on those steps, who was looking at the backdrop?

With Ryou sitting in the middle, a step lower than the other two, he was sandwiched between them. It was hard to remember this was supposed to be a purely het shoot – according to Jou, overtly girl on girl adverts often sold like hot cakes, but the world wasn't quite ready for their particular interests.

Bummer, in the cleanest sense of course.

Anyway, it was hard to remain cool when they were this close. Jou was leaning against his legs, one arm casually cocked on his knee as he tilted his head back, that classic lazy grin on his face as he looked sidelong at his two companions. Otogi could be found stretched out on one of the lower steps, his legs crossed as his hands rested at the nape of his neck. While Jou seemed carefree, the blacknette's expression was burningly intense, with those green, green cat's eyes.

_He is rather feline-ish…_Ryou mused as he himself tried to look as natural as the two seasoned models did – according to Tenshi, they wanted to look like 'veal men, manly men, yah?' _Just some guys, hanging out, having a few bears, just your average man…who isn't gay, who isn't interested in his fellow drinking buddies…_Ryou smiled, gently, amused by his own folly, unwittingly drawing the interest of the photographer.

Yet the smile faded as he noted the hushed dispute that was going on behind the camera. The photographer faltered and turned back to where Tenshi and several other black clothed 'little' people were talking quickly, heatedly.

"What's going on?" he whispered nervously to Jou. The honey haired youth looked towards the arguing gaggle and shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.

"Nah, they do that a lot…if ya thought models could bitch, wait until ya see them." The blonde grinned and leaned unceremoniously over Ryou's legs, casually tugging on the hem of his….mentor's pants. "Ain't I right 'Togi?"

What 'Togi thought on the subject was never aired since their words were interrupted by the master himself, Tenshi coming over.

"No, no, it eez…not working, no?" Not waiting for an answer, he shrugged his pinstripe covered shoulders regretfully. "You vill aff to go, sorry."

Ryou, automatically thinking that the Dutch man was referring to him, the newbie, stood, a slight flush brushing his cheeks.

"No, no, not you sweetie," Tenshi said lightly, flicking a hand, "Ve are sorry Jou…"

The blonde blinked and Tenshi was fixed with three pairs of stunned eyes – emerald, amber and mahogany.

"J-Jou?" Ryou stuttered incredulously, still frozen in a rather comical half standing position. "Not me, surely me."

"Yah, Jou," Tenshi said, just as brightly. "Ve feel zat another model might add a better look. You see, Bambi here…" Ryou flushed again at that nickname which seemed to have stuck so persistently. "Bambi here is very pale, but we lose that next to Jou. Jou darling, you are too…sunny, we need somevone more brooding, somevone like…"

"Let me guess." Otogi's voice was harsh as his green cat's eyes while he looked over the portly stylist's head. "Someone like Kaiba Seto?"

"What can I say? They requested me." An equally mocking voice sounded from behind Tenshi and Ryou's eyes rose to behold the sight that was the blue eyed brunette.

_Oh God he looks good…_the whitenette's mind commented dreamily, brown gaze lingering on those long legs, so tastefully enclosed in dark material, not to mention the blue shirt. _He certainly has a nice chest…I wonder if he wears trench coats often? They look good on him…_

((A/N: XD Sorry, too good to pass up – I have a Kaiba coat and I luff it very much.))

"I notice you didn't dare to throw me off, but it's Jou you attack," Otogi said acidly, all traces of his formerly pleasant demeanour gone as he looked at his rival with open hatred.

"I have no interest in who gets kicked off, _Ryuuji_, unlike you, I don't need to resort to petty tricks." Seto's smile was smug as he watched Otogi react heatedly to his deliberate goad.

"Listen to me you son of a bitch," the green eyed model snapped viciously, now also on his feet as Ryou sank back down, cowed by the two angry, yet beautiful men fighting over his head. "If you think that getting at one of _my _employees will get you anywhere, you are sadly mistaken…"

His rant was halted as a large hand grasped his elbow, squeezing gently and he looked back into amused honey eyes.

"Cool it 'Togi," Jou said calmly, rubbing his fingers soothingly over the limb he held, skin on heated skin. "I don't mind, honestly." The ingeniously charming man grinned, smile lopsided as he nodded towards Seto. "I don't mind if he covers for me, I still get my paycheck, don't worry 'bout that."

Otogi opened his mouth, as if to protest, but Jou squeezed more firmly, smile becoming even more languid. "Just think how great it'd be for newbie here to work with both of ya, the big guys." The blonde snickered at the blacknette's growl and glare towards Seto, but he let go of his arm, giving a mocking salute. "I'll see you after da shoot, kay?"

Relenting, the feline eyed model nodded, rewarding Jou with a soft, fond smile which he seemed to relish. "Good, cause now I can go get some sleep." Even Ryou laughed softly at that as he gave a dramatic yawn, satisfied that he had at least defused a potentially explosive situation. Walking past Seto, Jou gave him a friendly look, one that the taller man ignored pointedly. Undeterred, the blonde walked off, casting a sultry look back at Otogi as he walked away, hips swinging with a lazy seductiveness. "Now you two look after my Bambi, kay?" he called back, earning another blush from Ryou. "And 'Togi…don't be staring at my ass as I go now."

This was an order that the blacknette clearly refused, blatantly watching the jean clad behind as Jou disappeared from sight before turning back to Ryou with a smirk.

"Sex on a stick, eh?" he asked teasingly, enjoying the predictable blush which covered Ryou's cheeks as he mumbled some unintelligible answer. Otogi's chuckle was cut short as Tenshi clapped his hands together, obviously relieved that the 'spat' seemed to be over and was eager to get on with the shoot now the divas had been seen to.

"Right, let us get on, yah?"

The breath caught in Ryou's throat as Seto casually took up Jou's previous position, leaning back against his own legs. It allowed him to see the pale nape of his neck, stark against the glorious chestnut of his curling hair.

_Oh…my…God…_

"Ya ya, dat ist gut!" Tenshi enthused, nodding towards the photographer. "The white between the dark, ya, I see it now. His hair, against theirs, it is vonderful, non?"

_Guess that's my place, trapped between these two._

Indeed he was for over his innocent little head, a power struggle was raging. Glacial blue eyes met narrowed green ones and a silent challenge was issued.

_Beat me_ it said, _Just you try._

The flash of a photo bulb caught it all, imprinted forever on one reel of dark film, perhaps even more in the advert which showed two gloriously powerful men and the one pale youth, lit up by a single overhead light.

Illuminated, the light between the two darks.

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Okay, I know it's a short one, but hey, at least it's a update, ne? At least it's SOMETHING!

Reviews:

Elle-Fate2x1-2: Hehe, thanks – yesh, Seto ish mean in this…I guess it's just a different Seto from my normal writing. I know, Ryou is just a gorgeous ANGEL! **-Drools-**

Amichanfan: XD Yesh, Jou and Otogi, funfunfun. And I finished it, so ha!

Crazy eights: Heh, don't tell anyone, but Tenshi/Paolo is actually my Spanish teacher…who is Dutch. Odd I know…

Eve of Misery: Short is good, especially when I'm in a hurry to do all the reviews. Bambi is good…a result of late nights and sugar, but hey XD

Johnny-depp-luv: You don't have to if I don't want to XD Nah, but as I said, the pairings are pre-decided so asking for one won't change it. Hey, I like Honda/Jou, I love the whole best friend thing!

BobGod: Yesh, all the –nettes are good. And no, I don't hate Anzu, it just served my purposes in this story…okay, maybe I dislike her a wee bit, but I won't bash her in every fic of mine – I don't diss characters, everyone has their own favourites.

MotherCHOWGoddes: Hehe, I'm glad you think so. As I've probably said, my English teacher is failing me Well, I'll get around to reading it as soon as I can – I'm so Ra-damned busy!

Amari Koorime: Well…not everyone's gay, just six people…yep, blame it all on Pegsy XD

Relinquished: I'm so sorry I haven't updated – your reviews are just fun! Yesh, fun is on its way!

Kurayami ryou-sama: There may be no such word, but then there's no such thing as an ancient Egyptian Pharoah who invades a young boy's body through a rather encumbering piece of jewellery XD I just like the words and they make description easier.

TonyVlownBean1: The one shot is ALMOST finished, I just need to kick my beta's ass into gear…I'm so glad you like it – I hope this one was worth the wait too.

Ragdollsally13: I am soooo sorry I haven't updated this story, the story for you! I'm also very glad you like it – you were worth writing it for XD Me? Your idol? Oh no sweetie, you need to find someone else, really!

Wish he was Mine: Hehehe, well, he is pretty animal-like. Bambi ish good! Meep **–Watches as Anzu is beaten-** Um…call it a writer's licence? Yesh we love our bishies! KiKi? Shudup! **-Looks nervous-** It's just Lell, always Lell. Pah, Adara doesn't care, Adara has Yami and Mai and Kai and Seto….Jebus just steals that unfaithful yami of yours.

Longa Ragged Moan: hah, a story you finally review. Yes I know Tenshi means angel, I know you think I'm Japanese illiterate, but still…anyway, Bambi is a good name! Leave it alone!

Maedhros: Hee hee, thank yee kindly.

Lomedraug Daughter of Midnight: I hope it stays good!

SnowIce: Yep, tis very cute – sorry for the wait and thanks again for the compliments! I feel so special!

Tenshi no Nanimo: Gah, I feel like such an ass for making you wait so long!

Kitsune's Grrl: I like it too, fingers crossed I can update soon.

Kokura: Sorry! I know I should have updated, but I was so busy….and and…nah, I don't really have an excuse, do I? XD


	5. For the Sake of Art

I know, I know...and I don't have an excuse. I was just naughty and let other plot bunnies attack me. If it helps, I'm veeeeeery, veeeeeery sorry. Please don't hate me.

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"To Bambi; 'cause he's sexy as hell and I get ta see him naked."

A chorus of catcalls greeted the blonde's toast, even as Ryou flushed a bright crimson and looked around in vain for an escape route. Finding none, he looked pleadingly at the man who was toasting him, unwittingly letting his eyes fulfil his nickname in their wideness.

"Jou!" he squeaked in protest, still blushing like a catholic virgin who just got groped for the first time. "You make it sound so…"

"Dirty?" a spiky haired blonde offered, setting his shot glass down on the table with a wicked grin.

"Enviable?" This came from the man seated on the other side of the blonde, his own hair being peaked and bedecked with bright colours.

Ryou was effectively struck dumb with embarrassment, but Jou just laughed and tossed an ice cube at the terrible twosome. "Cool it youse two – just because you're jealous." Marik and Yami snickered, as did the rest of the large group. A large number of Golden Eye's models had gathered in one of the greeting rooms, though both Kaiba and Otogi were conspicuously absent. That didn't mean the party was not still going on – right now, most of them were seated on one of the circular sofas. Large enough to hold all of them, the velvet round even had a table in the middle and the glass top was pretty much invisible for the drinks covering it.

"So how did you wangle getting to see Bambi naked then?" Yami asked as he nibbled on the cocktail stick laden heavily with fruit. Violet eyes gleamed with a sort of feral interest – there was a sense of power about the Egyptian man despite his small height. Despite being shorter than the necessary height for Golden Eye's models, Yami had been hired immediately.

That was how beautiful he was.

Jou chuckled; leaning back lazily on the couch as he ruffled his permanently tousled hair. "Well, I haven't yet." He grinned at Ryou's predictable blush, white teeth flashing in his tanned face. "But I think I might wrangle a no-clothes shoot out of, 'Togi."

"You sure you don't want to be doing the shoot with Otogi himself?" That snide statement came from Carly who was sitting on the other side of Jou. Pegasus' assistant proved to be less uptight than her businesslike appearance had suggested at first. Right now, grey eyes were looking amusedly towards Jou as she tapped her pen absently against her cheek. The woman never seemed to stop working – there was always some piece of paperwork that Pegasus had forgotten to do that ended up being foisted on the woman. Slim glasses gave her an owlish look as she frowned down at the sheet of figures on her lap, but the half empty cocktail glass in front of her suggested that she wasn't just here for the company.

Unabashed, Jou gave his trademark grin; rubbing the nape of his neck with the graceful ease he went through life with. "I've done enough shoots with, 'Togi. Time for some new blood."

"Meaning he can see Otogi naked anytime he wants." Mai's contribution to the conversation effectively steered attention away from the still furiously blushing Ryou, a fact he noted and was supremely grateful for. The blonde flicked her hair and innocently attached her lips to the straw of her cocktail as all eyes turned in surprise towards her and Jou.

"Way ta let da cat out of da bag, Mai," Jou grumbled as he rolled his eyes, though a pleased expression lingered around his handsome features.

"Don't play the innocent, Puppy," Mai said with a chuckle. One of the things Ryou had come to learn in the two months he had been here was that all models ended up having some sort of nickname, a pen name if you will. He'd acquired his fairly early – Bambi had caused a few chuckles and had dutifully stuck. Jou's had hardly been surprising. With those eyes and his bouncy nature, it was hard not to liken him to the young creature his name came from. "You know you were going to let it slip sometime!"

"Let what slip?" That came from Yami, or Pharaoh as his colleagues called him. With his regal air and powerful aura, the name for an ancient ruler was pretty much already ingrained in the Egyptian's nature.

"Nothing…" Jou tried to look coy, but the expression was met with impatient groans and a shower of potato chips thrown towards his recumbent form. Chuckling, he brushed himself down as a slightly dreamy look crossed across his amber gaze.

"Oh God, he's in love isn't he?" Marik rolled amethyst eyes, though his wicked smile accentuated his rugged good looks. Another Egyptian themed nickname for another Egyptian man; Marik was Ra, the King of All.

Ryou perked up, looking towards Jou with interest now that he wasn't the centre of attention. The blonde didn't seem overly embarrassed, but a slight rosy tint was vaguely visible across the golden skin on his cheeks.

"I wouldn't call it love…" he demurred, clearly enjoying the curiosity in everyone around him, but Mai didn't let him lead them on too much.

"The Puppy's getting fucked and fucked good," she said dryly, violet eyes winking amusedly over at Ryou before flicking back to a pouting Jou. Whatever protest he had against that statement was lost in the consequential uproar her words created.

"Wahey! Way to go, Jou!"

"Man, I knew you guys were flirting, but you're such a tease with everyone…"

"Sleeping your way to the top, huh?"

The last comment made Jou bristle slightly.

"Wha? No way, that's not how it is. Me and 'Togi…have a healthy thing going on and…stop laughing Marik!"

The platinum blonde was indeed wriggling around in his seat, his amusement evident in his cackles of delight. Marik had one of those insane laughs that was slightly freaky, but soon had you laughing along with it and the whole room was gradually sinking into appreciative giggles while Jou looked even more flustered – a rare sight.

"No offence, Jou…but sleeping with your boss!" The Egyptian sank back into helpless laughter and didn't even notice when Jou flicked a cocktail stick at him.

"Bastard," Jou snapped, but he was clearly too happy to be anything more than peevish. "'Togi isn't my boss, you ass, Pegasus is."

Yami snorted, wrinkling his nose in a disdainful expression. "Bullshit," he said dryly as he sipped at his murky looking shot, "We all know that Pegsy is just the figurehead here. We'll know soon enough who's the real power in this place and it sure as hell isn't the madman in the attic."

There were snorts of amusement from the group at this comment, answering ripples of derision circling out from the group.

"Mr Crawford is the public front for the company," Carly added, trying to be diplomatic even as she hid the appreciative smile, "But I do admit that, left to his own devices, this company would crumble into dust. What with the new management schemes coming up this year, we're in for some conflict higher up."

Agreement came from the gathered models, from all in fact, except Ryou who looked confusedly towards Carly. "Management schemes?" he asked, demeanour made awkward by admitting to not knowing about something everyone else seemed to.

"The Board of Directors have been pressing a new insurance plan. With it in place, there'll be a much more rigid method of processing model payment plans, not to mention a failsafe system to alleviate from a shall we say, dictator's rule of one company." Carly had clearly headed into businessperson mode and she paused when she saw the blank look on the whitenette's face. "It's basically to incorporate a more rigid power system, make it more hierarchal in a sense." Another blank look.

"What she's trying to say is, when this system's put through, Pegasus will have to give some of his power to someone else beneath him. We'll know who's in charge – it will be official." Surprisingly, the literal translation came from Mai. Seeing Ryou's look of surprise, the blonde woman grinned amusedly. "Sweetheart, if you don't learn the legal jargon, your pretty face is going to get you in some deep shit with your employers."

Looking sheepish, he shrugged awkwardly. "So who will end up in charge."

Carly fielded that question – being as close as she was to the top, most of the employed models turned to her for information, information that she relayed happily. "Either Kaiba or Otogi – that's what all the fuss is about."

It did seem to make sense – from what Ryou had seen, the two long term models had certainly seemed to have made most of the decisions around him. "Who decides…picks between the two of them though?"

"What is this: twenty questions?" Marik asked and the whitenette flushed under his teasing tone. Being the newest among them, not to mention the youngest was hardly inspiring any confidence.

"Leave him alone, Marik," Mai chided, flicking a perfect curl back over her shoulder. "This is Bambi's first gig – we're the ones supposed to be helping him along."

"Quite." Carly sent him a smile and he relaxed slightly, though pale skin was still stained with a ruby tint. "Mr Pegasus will be making the official announcement at the end of this year so…competition will be heated."

"More competition?" Ryou's voice quavered slightly, nervousness seeping into his tone – an increased rivalry between the two was certainly not a prophecy for a peaceful work environment. Judging from the looks they had been giving each other at his last shoot with them, that had only been the tip of the iceberg.

Yami nodded grimly, crimson eyes shadowed in thought. "It's going to get ugly and quickly as well. Those two aren't going to be pulling any punches."

"But how will they persuade Mr Crawford?" Embarrassed at asking another question, Ryou looked sheepish, but mahogany eyes turned to each of his colleagues, hoping for an answer.

But he received none and he was slightly surprised to find that several of them wouldn't meet his eyes. Then again, several pointed gazes were turned towards Jou who flushed, but tilted his chin defiantly.

_Am I missing something?_

Ryou once more felt that familiar pain of knowing that everyone else knew something, but weren't letting him in. Nibbling on a lower lip, he looked away, automatically hiding behind the barrier of his hair. Was there nowhere in this world where people would actually let him in?

A hand complete with immaculate indigo nail varnish appeared in his line of vision, brushing away the curtain of snowy white hair and he looked up into sympathetic violet eyes.

"Let's tale a walk, Bambi…"

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"They're only looking out for you, sweetling."

Ryou nodded absently, closing his eyes as he let the midday sun bathe his face in its warmth – it was late May and the heat was tolerable, though a heat wave was predicted for the oncoming weeks. Beside him, Mai had removed her jacket and was gaining several appreciative looks from the people they passed as they meandered through the park. As usual, she paid them no heed, her attention being focused on the young man she was walking with. Ryou was attracting his own share of glances from people along the way, but he was lost in his own thoughts.

"If you walk with your eyes closed, you'll end up banging into something." The wry comment startled the whitenettes out of his daze and he gave a sheepish smile, brown eyes opening fully.

"Sorry…just thinking."

"I saw." Mai sighed and, gripping Ryou's elbow, began to lead him over to a bench at the edge of the path. "Don't get hung up on this, Ryou, it's nothing to get your panties in a twist over."

Ryou flushed, pouting slightly in a way that inadvertently made him all the more appealing. "I'm not hung up on it. I just…" He sighed, letting Mai seat him down on the bench. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he let his chin rest on the table they formed, eyes downcast. "I just wish people would let me in on whatever this is about – I mean you know, don't you."

"Yeah, I know…" Mai admitted, her voice soft as she rested her hands behind her head, leaning back so she could look up towards the sky. A dappling shadow rested over both of them, the bright light filtering through a sparse ceiling of green leaves to bathe them in a filigree of shifting light. "But they are trying to keep you safe."

"I can take care of myself you know," Ryou mumbled into his knees. With his eyes on the ground, he couldn't see the sympathetic look crossing Mai's face, nor the sadness in her large eyes.

"No you can't. Honey…you're new to this business. Time was it used to be about being beautiful and getting the perfect shot." She sighed, wriggling in the sun like a happy cat – a sunaholic, that was what Mai was. "Now it's all about whose got the power. There are the ones that dabble in mind magic, the ones who can give you a paper cup and talk you into believing that it's gold. Marik and Yami, those two have silver tongues. Good thing they're happy where they are else we'd all be in trouble. It's like they have powers those two. Then there are the ones who don't give a shit about anyone else. They'll bitch, they'll blag, they'll do anything to get their way to the top. You don't want to get in their way sweetheart, they'll just use you and lose you before you've even had time to fall in love with them."

Ryou was half aware that she gave no examples for this branch of the modelling species; then again, he probably didn't want to know.

"And then there are the artists." Mai's voice had softened, gaining a sunny tone that warmed Ryou despite his black mood. "The ones who go by the old ways – it's making art, Ryou, it's making art with your body, your face. It's knowing that you're beautiful and taking that to the edge of perfection and letting it spread out to the world. The artists don't need to be divas, they don't need to push and pull. They're above it because it's all about the beauty." The whitenettes felt a hand rest on the back of his head, felt Mai stroke him gently with a sort of languid sadness in her actions.

"You and me, Bambi, we're the artists. True, I've had to learn the jargon to save my hide, I've had to go deep down that technical road, but I'm still in it for the art." She gave a sort of helpless laugh and he was surprised to sense a bitterness in her voice that he'd never heard before. "Problem with being an artist is that you can get lost in the beauty – when the art comes first, nothing else compares. You sacrifice love for that one perfect image. We give it all up, little one, but there's a beauty in the path to the perfect image. You've got it in you, I can see it." Another sigh, this one lighter as the pressure of her hand disappeared to places unknown. "We don't need the power, but we're the key ones in the power struggle. Which is why you have to be careful – that pretty face of yours, it's attracting attention from those that rule this world and you're too god damned sweet to see it. You're going to have people who think the sun shines out of your eyes and you'll have to get used to being loved. You're going to be pulled up the ladder while everyone else has to climb, but you can't believe anything anyone says, sweetheart. I've been there – that sugar they speak has a poisoned lining and you don't want to take their offer, no matter what they say."

Ryou was confused by now, lost in this sea of words and warning and talks of artists and beauty, but he let the waves wash over him as he sought to take it all in.

"Take their promises with a pinch salt and you stay as sweet as you are now. Leave the protection to me, Ryou, I'll take care of you." Mai smiled as she looked towards the hunched up figure and couldn't resist smoothing down an errant lock of white hair. "I'll take their poison because I know how – you concentrate on being beautiful."

"Mai…"

She silenced him with a wave of her hand as she looked down into wistful brown eyes. "I don't need thanks, sweetling and you don't need to know why. I used to know someone like you, that's all and it was a long time before I realised what was happening to him, but by then it was too late. He's one of the big people now and whatever me and him had, it's gone now. He sacrificed love for power and it's gotten him what he wanted, but he's lost himself in the process." There, that was it – Ryou saw that sadness in her eyes again before they lit up like violet lamps once more. "Just trust me, that's all I ask."

"I trust you – don't see how I couldn't." This was said with honesty as Ryou sent a smile up at her from his hunched position and it was returned with equal warmth.

"Just don't go telling people we had this talk – they'll think I'm going soft." Mai busied herself brushing her skirt down as Ryou watched her with an odd sort of wonder. This woman, as beautiful as she was, had a heart and all that heart seemed to be set on helping him and he had no idea why. She was a golden angel who seemed to have some hidden goal, but he couldn't help, but know that there was no way she was going to let him fall. The whitenettes was lost for words and was merely content to watch her for the time being as she got out of whatever odd mood she had been in.

"Oh…" Her eyes had suddenly taken on that sad quality again as she turned to him, putting her face on a level with his. "Ryou, I know how much you like Jou, but don't put too much faith in him, okay?"

"Why not?" This had surprised Ryou – Jou had been the first friendly face he had seen at Golden Eye. He was the lively chatter that had gotten him through hard days and the solid shoulder he knew he could lean on. Whenever he'd had a bad shoot or had his photos rejected, it was to Jou he had always turned for some cheery comment or sunny smile. It was Jou who had shown him the roots and made sure that he wasn't late for his schedule – Jou kept him running.

"Trust me on this one – for all his friendliness, there's actually a mind behind that pretty face and you don't get where he is through being nice. It's perfectly all right to be his friend, but don't take his words as the truth. Don't let him in too deep else he'll hurt you real bad and probably won't give it a second thought."

Jou? His Jou? The same Jou he had spent a morning watching as he tried to catch cheese puffs in his mouth? The same Jou who laughed at everything and had an odd perchance for watching old 'I Love Lucy' episodes? The same Jou who could always sense when Ryou was down in the dumps and bring him back up again with an enthusiastic hug.

But this was Mai and how could he not believe her?

"O-okay…" he managed to say and the blonde looked relieved as she ruffled his hair.

"You're a good kid – too good to be true in fact." Mai chuckled as she smoothed her hair down, returning to her sunbathing. "Give it a few years and you and me will be heading down to Milan – it's High Fashion for us beautiful people and I'd like to see anyone stop us."

Ryou laughed softly – images of him making it in the world of high fashion were so absurd that he couldn't help laughing, but her optimism was contagious.

"Where would we live?" he asked, mimicking her position so he could catch a few rays as well.

"Penthouse apartment – we can have a floor full of pretty boys for you to play with and a floor full of beautiful guys for me to flirt with, but the top floor will be just for us."

"You're a menace Mai – you have the male population of Domino after you and they're all wasted on you." Ryou could feel Mai's grin, even though his eyes were closed.

"I just haven't found the right guy for me yet, sweetheart," she drawled lazily, her fingers brushing over his cheek slightly. "I haven't been interested in love for a while." If his eyes had been open, he might have seen a look of brief wistfulness crossing her strong features, a shadowed expression of loss and pain that was quickly erased when he spoke next.

"So, penthouse in Milan then…"

"Yep, but it's the nightlife we'll be there for. Parties for miles around, all with our names on the VIP list because we'll be the biggest thing for years around. We'll be the Queen Bees."

Ryou gave a surprised laugh. "Queen Bees? Us?"

"Damn straight." He gained a mischievous wink from the woman lying next to him. "We're gonna be top of the model world, you and me. You and I are gonna go far, Bambi…"

Hearing his nickname, Ryou opened his eyes fully as he looked curiously towards Mai. "Hey, Mai?"

"Hmm?" She didn't open her eyes, but she did tilt her head slightly in his direction.

"How come you don't have a modelling name? Everyone has one except you."

"I've still got my first one from my first agency." Mai made a face, wrinkling up her nose in distaste. "But I think my assassin team has gotten pretty much everybody who knows about that."

"Come on – you know you want to tell me!" Chuckling softly, Ryou turned warm eyes towards her, part of him aching with a sort of joy that simply came from being able to be this comfortable with someone.

"Not really – if I told you, sweetheart, I'd have to kill you."

"Is it that bad? Can it get much worse than Bambi?"

"It's much worse than being named after some doe-eyed deer." Mai snorted, her eyes flickering behind her lids which made her eye shadow glitter with restrained iridescence. "I'd drop it now before I'm forced to introduce you to your fanclub."

"Fanclub?" Ryou looked perplexed at his.

"All those high school girls who saw the Hugo Boss adverts – they did plaster it on every bus in the area, so you're famous now."

Ryou shivered and looked at her with horror in his eyes. "You wouldn't!"

"Push the nickname thing any further and you'll find out – Mai will do fine as a name."

"Spoilsport…."

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I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Miyosuke – it was their review that reminded me I had to update this. A handy hint for anyone who likes this story and wants chapters churned out faster, just keep nagging me. I crack under constant pressure so after the first few nags, I'm writing away. Anyway, I got Miyosuke's prod and I started writing immediately.

Oh and I've had a few requests for fanart for this story. The problem is, I'm so bad at drawing, my squares look like circles – if any of you know or are good at art, I'd adore seeing some work for this fic. Anyway, on to the reviews:

**Snowice: **You made me blush, terribly – praise always flusters me and I ended up going ruby red (which is hard when you have skin as dark as mine) Heh, what is it? Three months since I updated? That's pretty bad…Heh, I do that – ramble in my reviews I mean. Gawd, I really need to get this animated, huh? I'd love to see this in real life or as one of the anime episodes! Eeep, you're making me blush – the descriptions are because I normally have some random image in my head and it's the only way to get my thoughts across. Wow, well, this is a bit late, but happy birthday! I'm glad I could make it a good one.

**Sunshine Pie: **Each to their own – I'm pretty much open to any pairing. I'll certainly read anything and I write loads of pairings, depending on what plot bunnies I get.

**MotherCHOWGoddess: **If someone had offered, I'd have still been…uh…thanking them now. I have sent out a plea, I just hope someone answer. Thanks – the English teacher finally succumbed to my charms when I showed him the starts of my original fiction so that's smoothed over. It's my Biology teacher now who seems to be threatened by me (s'not my fault people ask me and not her…) Heh, I don't even have a day job to quit! At least I'd be making money then, but sadly I'm still stuck in school…**Sigh**

**Wish he was Mine: **Um…yeah, sorry about that…I hope you haven't been craving too much. But I have my muse back at least! You're bragging again – you don't need to make me feel inferior because you have so many fans…ha, Tracee!

**TinyClownBean1: **Again, sorry for the wait – but your review made me all squishy and happy. )

**Kitsune's Grrl: **I know…I know…so damn short, but this one is longer! And so should the next one (I'm halfway through it so hopefully a quick update is in order)

**Clingy: Chuckles **I got sidetracked writing those images. It was fun coming up with outfits and having them as models just gave me excuse to describe them so thoroughly. Hmm…I'm not sure whether there'll be a lemon or not – I'll probably post something on AFF, but I'm trying to stay clear of smut right now. I'm not sure enough of my writing skills to do it confidently.

**Ragdollsally13: **There's a whole lot of Ryou and Seto interaction in the next chapter, so that's something for you to look forward too. Actually, this should be a fairly long story – I originally had it down as being only about six or seven chapters long, but my written plan seems to be heading towards eighteen to twenty chapters which is slightly scary…Hey, I feel guilty for not writing YOUR story fast enough and I'm certainly not worthy of being your idol – it was your story that got me into Seto/Ryou.

**RalphiereRedeux: **I feel your pain sweetheart, but it's not that great anyway. I only post here because it's easiest for me. I'm glad you like it – your opinion means so much to be and it's nice to know it isn't just hormonal teenagers who read this XD Oooooh, there will be more – much more! **Cackles**

**Sugarholic: **Damn and you had to wait an eternity again – I'm sorry! So Sorry! But I've got Spring Break now so I should be able to get back on track with my writing! Oreos…damn, that's a really good analogy! I might have to steal that!

**Elle-Fatex-: **Merci, tu es trop sympa!

**Miyosuke: **Heh, I did update and it was all thanks to you! **Hugs**


	6. Adam and Eve

Haha! I actually updated on time! Take that world – you didn't stop me writing!

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"You sound like you're doing well though."

Yuugi wielded a spoon expertly as he dug into the tub of ice-cream set before him, watching as his roommates did the same.

Ryou sucked thoughtfully on a mouthful of cookie dough, tapping his spoon against the side of the tub absently. "It's mostly about increasing portfolio size right now. I've done about seven official shoots, but the rest of the time was just fiddling around with head shots and things."

"So how much re-touching did you need?" Malik asked wickedly, licking fudge ripple from the back of his utensil as he looked over towards the pouting Ryou.

The model made a face, lip curling in a half hearted sneer that was reserved for the trainee chef alone. "Not that much…"

"How much is much?" Yuugi licked a smear of green mint ice cream from his thumb as he looked enquiringly towards the British youth.

Ryou shrugged, toying with a rapidly melting spoonful of the iced dessert. "The usual. Stray hairs, slight blemish, a crease in your clothes that shouldn't be there."

"I knew those girls were too perfect to be real!" Malik crowed as he waved his spoon enthusiastically. Being Malik, he was surprised when his two table mates ducked down out of the line of fire of his ice cream splattering spoon. Blinking bemusedly, the young man shrugged and settled back down to his Ben and Jerry's as he waited for the two cowardly souls to surface from their places of retreat. "No-one has legs like that."

"Or hair as sleek as that," Yuugi added, the soft points of his hair poking above the table, followed by a pair of wary violet eyes as he judged the air to be 'ice-cream splatter free.'

Malik nodded in agreement, already back to swirling his caramel into his chocolate. "I'm sure none of them are actually beautiful when you look at them up close."

"Except Mai." This came from Ryou who had calmly slipped into his seat as if he hadn't been hiding from a manic Egyptian with a perchance for throwing his food around. "Mai's perfect."

Yuugi and Malik shared a look, half amused, half exasperated.

"You're not going straight on us, are you Ryou?" Malik asked archly, grinning as a rapid flush spread across the whitenette's face. After a few moments of shocked disbelief in which Ryou looked remarkably like a blow fish as his mouth opened wordlessly, those eyebrows came down and Malik was treated to the extremely cute sight of the British teen's attempt at a glower.

"Ma-lik!" he complained and probably would have continued in a familiar vein if Yuugi had not thoughtfully pushed a large spoonful of cookie dough ice-cream into his mouth. While Ryou was coping with the subsequent brain freeze, the trainee doctor peered down thoughtfully at the rapidly melting green cream in his tub.

"What Malik's trying to say is that you just seem to be spending a lot of time with this Mai," he said tactfully. "You've been spending a lot of time with all of the people at work in fact and we haven't gotten to meet any of them."

As Malik nodded mute agreement, Ryou sighed, playing moodily with his ice cream – since when had Thursday 'Ice cream and movie night' turned into a grilling session?

"It's just been really busy lately," he said, trying to sound light as he shrugged. That odd conversation with Mai that afternoon had unnerved him more than he cared to let on and there was no point in letting his two friends worry unnecessarily – they were already a tad too protective and it wouldn't do to hint that the whole company seemed to be plotting against him.

"We know." The soothing comment came from Yuugi, the peacemaker of the group, the one who both calmed Malik down and drew Ryou out of his shy shell. "We just want to meet these people who mean so much to you – we want to meet the famous Mai and Carly and Jou…"

Jou. That was one person Ryou didn't want to have to face, not with these doubts placed in him by his blonde angel. He wanted to believe that Jou wouldn't be as underhand as that, that Jou was nothing more than the sunny hearted person he had come to know, but there was a new motto in his life and he was determined to stand by it.

Mai knows best.

The whitenette sighed, running a hand through his rumpled hair – he seemed to be doing that far too often recently. "It's not as if I don't want you to meet them – you know I do, it's just finding time when we're all free. You guys are busy as well you know."

"Don't remind me," Yuugi groaned, paling slightly. "We've moved onto dissections in our lectures and I'm starting to wonder if I have the right career in mind…"

"Of course you do, squirt," Malik said brightly, throwing a companionable arm around the smaller man's shoulders as a fist curled playfully, drilling down in a good-natured noogie. "You and kids, they're drawn to you – you can't turn your back on them now. You'll cope, you always do."

Ryou chuckled softly as he watched Yuugi squirm under the blonde's bouncy form of love. "So you've made a decision then?"

The tri-nette, his hair ruffled by the rough love from Malik, nodded, pulling away from the bouncy blonde with a final squeak of protest. "I've talked with my professors and they think the paediatrician's path is the best one for me." He blushed with a mixture of pride and embarrassment as Malik whooped and Ryou let out one of his rare grins.

"Do you know how long it's taken for you to get your ass around that one decision?" Malik crowed, ignoring the reproving glances he gained simultaneously reproving glances from both of his roommates, but part of his charm was the ability to turn those reproving looks into grudging smiles as they warmed to him.

Yuugi flapped a hand at him helplessly, hiding an up welling of giggles behind one hand. "It's hard to decide what job you want to do for the rest of your life…It was an important decision!"

"Screaming kids or a sick populace…" Malik's eyes betrayed his good humour as he poked fun at his blushing friend. "I question your sanity sometimes."

"This is coming from the man who brings home bags of truffles, sea bass and saffron to experiment with."

Ryou watched amusedly as the chef and the trainee doctor bickered aimlessly – it was a commonplace occurrence in this house, but more importantly, it had fended off any more questions about his own line of work – he didn't have the skills, nor the temperament to lie.

It wasn't until later, when the ragging had ceased and Malik had finally headed out to do the evening shift that Yuugi caught up to him in the corridor heading towards his room when he knew that the subject hadn't been forgotten.

"Hey." For such a small man, the youth looked surprisingly determined as he cornered Ryou in the narrow passage way. "Since when do you keep secrets from us?"

"I'm not keeping…" but one look from those reproachful violet eyes stemmed the flow of weak sounding protests and the white haired teen bit his lip, looking somewhat ashamed. "I just didn't want to worry you two…"

"You think we don't notice when you come home with a face like a kicked dog?" Yuugi sighed, rubbing at his temple as he leaned against the wall, looking up at his friend. "Why do you think we got all that ice cream out?"

At Ryou's blank look, Yuugi sighed, reaching up to smooth an out of place ivory lock. "You do support the theory that models are just pretty faces in front of empty space." The deliberate taunt had a positive effect as the whitenette squeaked in outrage and the two tussled for a pleasant few minutes, leaving them panting on the floor as they looked up towards the white ceiling. They lay in companiable silence for a while, the only sound being that of their gradually slowing breathing.

"I do want you to meet them…it's just…complicated," Ryou murmured, resting his head on his diminutive friend's shoulder, enjoying a closeness that work and studies hadn't permitted for a while.

"I know and we both understand that," Yuugi said in his typically soothing manner as he stroked an absent hand over Ryou's soft head of hair. "I'm patient – I'm not so sure about Malik." They shared a quiet, secret snicker – impatient barely did their third boarder justice. "I can wait."

"You shouldn't have to." Ryou gave a sigh as his head butted up unconsciously into the soft touch. "I've met your college friends, Malik's colleagues – it's about time you met mine."

"We don't want to meet your colleagues, Ryou," Yuugi said with a soft chuckle, raising an eyebrow at the bemused expression the whitenette was currently wearing. "We want to meet your friends."

"Oh…"

The smaller man gave a low chuckle, shifting until they were both more comfortable, even if their place was just the floor of the hallway. "I wouldn't want to meet any model who didn't have your seal of approval – from what I hear, they're spoilt, self-centred divas…"

"Hey – that could be me you're describing there!" Ryou protested, sending a gentle elbow towards Yuugi's ticklish ribs, but he avoided it easily.

"Don't worry, you're just strange, that's all…"

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Hush now – so when do we get to meet them?"

Ryou shrugged, reaching up to tug a golden bang into place with the absent minded attention he went through so much of his life with.

"Tell you what – they're holding some sort of party thing for me in about two weeks. My three month anniversary they called it." He gave a minutely proud grin at that. "They said it shows I had the guts to stick it that far, end of probation if you will."

Yuugi snorted, holding still while Ryou adjusted his hair. "As if there was any doubt you wouldn't make it…"

Ryou smiled with overly bright eyes as his hand slid down to grip one of Yuugi's tightly, fingers interlacing easily. "You know how much your support means to me? I wouldn't have ever of gone for it if you hadn't egged me on in the first place…"

"You didn't need my help, Ryou," Yuugi said assuredly, his own eyes glistening slightly despite his bright words. "You're going to be big – just remember who your old friends were when you get to the top."

"As if I could ever forget you, Yuugi…"

"Besides – who else are me and Malik going to scrounge money off when we get old?"

"Yuugi!" More wrestling and more tussling, actions that cemented a friendship that had all begun with the click of a camera button and a single comment.

You should be a model you know…

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The rain was heavy that night. Leaden droplets finally fell, breaking the almost unbearable pressure that had been growing in the day, cutting through the wet stickiness the summer day had brought about. Thunder rumbled ominously and a pair of violet eyes watched a ripple of sheet lightening bathe the low lying clouds in silver.

"I told him to watch out for our Puppy," the woman said absently as she watched the wrath of nature lash the world outside the building. It was hard to believe that she and the kid had been sitting in the park earlier that day – right now, the same area was a wind whipped mass of branches, foliage soaked with the downpour.

Azure eyes didn't even look up from the faint glow of the laptop. The spacious room was dark, the only light coming from the reading lamp on the desk and the liquid glow of the crystal screen, but the occasional dull gleam of the lightening outside served as further illumination. The dim light placed most things in the room into negative, only picking out a few features – the stark metal of the desk, the alabaster of his shirt, the golden halo of her hair – the rest was bathed in shadow.

"How did he take it?" The voice was satin smooth, a voice practiced in lulling fledgling chicks into an uneasy slumber before forked fangs dragged them cheeping from the nest. It had no effect on the woman – she had know the voice before it had gained its deadly charm and its siren song had no sway over her own anchored nature.

"He agreed." Her voice turned bitter, self-mocking as she continued. "He trusts me."

"If only he knew what a pet you are, my sweet…" The satin voice held a razor edge of amusement now, a wicked glee of one who revels in games of the mind, though its owner didn't react to the sceptical look sent his way.

"Don't flatter yourself – I'm my own woman, not like the little ants you have scurrying around you." She gave a sigh, head rolling on a tired neck as she leant back, perched as she was on the edge of his desk, while he chose to seat himself in the sleekly curved armchair across from her. "I meant it when I told him he could trust me."

"And when I ask you to betray that trust?" An arch of a perfect eyebrow accompanied those telling words as that piercing blue gaze finally made its way to her form. Blonde hair brushed the small of her back as she leant back on the hands she placed behind her on the desk, long legs crossed in the unconsciously provocative way that made the woman so attractive.

"I won't do it," was the blunt answer as equally striking eyes met his. This was a rival to him, both in spirit and beauty and there was always something about their confrontations that set his blood on fire with liquid lightening. "Not even for you. The kid means too much to me to break this one."

A low, wicked chuckle suddenly sounded from the seated figure, his attention momentarily pulled away from whatever document was gently flashing at him on the screen in favour of the spitfire before him. "You're getting soft in your old age – you almost sound as if you're in love with the kid."

It was her turn to cock a fine eyebrow, a silent gesture of both defiance and questioning. "You know I haven't loved a man since you, Seto." Her voice was soft – resounding with firmness, but still with a kind of lasting tenderness it had never really lost when it came to the brunette.

He didn't deny it - more accurately, he revelled in the fact he still held so much power over this woman, even if she refused to act on it. At least he had still sealed a part of her away and that part was firmly imprinted with his mark. "It's nice to know you had to turn celibate after loving me." His words were dry, mocking still with no trace of the compassion they had once contained.

She didn't comment on that – the past was often spoken on, but rarely pursued with much tenacity and it was still a trial to see that he had moved on so thoroughly, even to change his preferences in gender so entirely after their parting.

"You shouldn't call him a kid – he's barely half a year younger than you," was her only reply as she turned her eyes back towards the torrential rain running in a waterfall on the outside of that green tinted window. Another rumble of thunder growled threateningly around the building, closer this time as the eye of the storm inched a mile or two nearer.

"He's a child, mindless and naïve," was the clipped comment as the brunette tapped away at the keyboard for a while, the return key echoing with a resounding finality when he signalled that he was done. "Perhaps that's what brings out your maternal instincts, Mai?"

The blonde woman gave no answer, though he was witness to her immaculate hands tightening that much more on the edge of his desk as she sat up, turning a shadowed face towards him. With her back to the window, she was lit up from behind and her expression was unreadable in the patch of shifting darkness that she seemed to be.

The silence lingered as he returned to his document, reams of text appearing under his hands as those fingers flew like quicksilver over the keys as he waited for whatever defiant comment he knew was going to come from the blonde woman – it was only she who had the nerve to intrude upon his time and to lounge around his personal floor as if she owned the place.

Time was she did – time was, he had been prepared to let her own everything including the keys to his carefully guarded heart, but that had all changed hadn't it?

Perhaps that was why he was surprised when she did speak.

"Don't hurt him, Seto…"

Her words were quieter than normal, dejected even and was that a slight tremor he detected with his uncaring ears? Once again, sapphire was pulled away from the screen to look towards her, a smirk hovering dangerously over his lips. Her own face was grim, classical features set with determination as she leaned towards him, golden hair he had once run his fingers through curling over one bare shoulder in a way that just maybe made a miniscule part of him long for days gone by.

He squashed that part of him and returned to the matter of hand.

"What makes you think I'm going to hurt him?" This was said in his executive voice, his public image voice – trustworthy, calm and assured, that was what it was designed to convey. It worked on everyone – rival businessmen, company representatives, the giggling fan girls who wanted him to sign various snaps of his own face.

There were perhaps a few people in this busy world who could see through that smiling mask and soothing tone and one of them was looking at him right now with those purple lamps of hers.

"I know you, Seto." It was her turn to sound mocking, though her tone was without malice and more tinged with an echo down the years of a sadness untold and as of yet unresolved. "You may forget sometimes or just not want to remember, but I was close to you once and I know what you've turned into."

He rolled his eyes at that – in his own mind he hadn't changed, only evolved and certainly for the better.

"For all you know, I could be going to choose someone completely different." When that raised eyebrow of hers did not go down, he shrugged, irritated in spite of his resolve now, needled by how well she did actually know him. "He won't get hurt," he said shortly before a flicker of a grin spread across his face, lighting up those handsome features.

The features of a model, one of the best in the business.

"He'll love every minute of it," was the slow, seductive comment, honey dripping from the poisoned fangs of the serpent who tempted Eve.

"Oh he'll love doing it," the blonde woman said bitterly, her voice finally lapsing into the pain she felt. Her composure had been held when it had been her under fire, but to remember the hurt she had gone through, the agony and to know that the same might be happening soon to her innocent charge – it made her barriers fall as the heat of anger sizzled comfortingly through her veins. 'You'll promise him heaven and he'll drink up every word you feed him because he can't even comprehend that anyone out there might actually be bad." Violet eyes gained a stormy hue, a maelstrom of indigo lit up with silver from the lightening that flashed outside. "You'll lead him on and you'll build him up and shower him with ecstasy. But you don't mean a minute of it, Seto, you don't mean one of those honeyed words and just when he's needing you the most, you'll let him down. You'll tell him that it meant nothing, that he's nothing and you'll enjoy watching his soul shatter into a thousand pieces." There was definitely regret in her voice, a vibrant voice turned sour by those painful memories as she looked at him with unblinking eyes. "The worst part of it is, you'll convince him to come with you willingly and you'll relish stealing his innocence away."

He was unmoved; what else would she have expected from him? Perhaps he was even amused if you judged him by the twist of his lips.

"Well, you seem to have it all planned out, don't you?" he asked and once again his voice was deceptively smooth. "You seem to know exactly how I'm going to react? What makes you so sure I'll do exactly as you've planned?" His eyes hardened, darkening to a steely blue as if, by miraculous chance and auspicious timing, a flash of lightening brought out the true luminosity of his eyes in all their terrible beauty.

Yet the golden haired woman didn't quail under his harsh gaze, merely took it with a sort of serene sadness, yet there was acceptance within those pools of muted violet, dim in the near darkness as she looked towards the uncaring form of a man she had once loved and still had affection for despite the coldness running through him now.

"Because I know you, Seto…" was her soft answer as she slowly clasped her hands on her lap, fingers being the only things to betray her anxiety as the joints slowly turned white from the pressure she was putting on them to still what would have been them shaking. "Because I experienced the magic you seem to put on people."

"And you think I'll treat him the same as you do?" There was a brooding silence before a low, dark chuckle started to pour forth from those tainted lips and it was this more than anything that made the blonde woman flinch away from the seated shadowy figure as he closed the laptop with a decisive flip. "I think you're the one who's flattering yourself – do you really think you meant that much to me back then?"

Her silence was telling, a lack of words or a deliberate withholding of them that was both sorrowful and irritated at the same time as he snorted, the most emotional noise he had yet to make in this little encounter. There was a whisper of finely made cloth as he stood and he was rewarded with the sight of her stiffening slightly, a sudden wariness entering her clouded gaze.

And he was proud that he held such sway over the woman who had been foolish enough to love him.

"This one's special," came the purr, deliberately pitched to cause the most damage since he knew this strong woman could take the full force of his storm, but he was still waiting for the day when he would break her. "But he's such a sweet looking thing. And he'll be perfect for the whole idea, won't he?"

"Seto…" There was the warning, that time when she lapsed into a growl as she closed her eyes, clearly trying to subdue the raging beast within her at such a deliberate taunt.

"Then again, I thought you were perfect, didn't I?" Definitely purring now, he was circling the desk slowly, a lazy amble that was made predatory by the glint in those feral eyes and the way his shadow rippled and flickered as the rain painted a waving path down the floor length windows. There were those that hated coming to his room because of the reminder that they were twenty storeys above the ground and the green tinted glass didn't let you forget it – they all felt the stomach churning pain of vertigo, but he revelled in the idea that only that one pane of glass separated you and a drop of certain death.

It reminded him of the reasons for why he was doing this.

Again he was met with stubborn silence. Or maybe she just didn't trust herself to speak. He smiled, an action that was unnoticeable in the dim light, but he could almost smell her emotion, could almost hear the sound of her pounding heart.

"You're so easy to figure out," was the low statement as his dark, lanky form suddenly drew close and Mai was faced with the fact she had to look up to see him. She was hardly a small woman herself, but she was seated and he had left her no room to stand – he himself was standing in the V-shape her legs made.

Far too close for comfort.

The blonde woman flinched when she felt fingers brush the side of her face lightly, gently, but there was no tenderness in his touch- it was an action designed to remind her of how powerful he was, how dangerous he was. Automatically, her eyes closed to block out the sight of the smirk she knew he was wearing, but it was burned into her retinas, impossible to avoid.

"You talk about what you think we used to had, what you think I felt about it," he said softly, dangerously as those skilled fingers touched that smooth, perfect skin, but there was no joy in the contact for him except a satisfaction born out of malice. "You think you understand me, but I'm the one who has you figured out."

The prickling of her skin announced that he was too close for comfort and she opened her eyes, startled to find those heated yet icy eyes on a level with her own. As much as she hated to admit it, her body was reacting favourably towards the brunette – an ache in her stomach she hadn't felt for a while, the sudden shallowness of her breath and the rapid beat of her traitor heart. It had been so long since they had been this close and mentally she had put aside whatever she had felt for him.

Her body had not.

His face was getting closer and, against her wishes, her body prepared for, even anticipated the kiss it sensed was coming. It wasn't until her breath paused as their exhaled air mingled that she finally saw the cruel ploy she had walked into when his eyes glittered with achievement.

"So predictable…" he crooned, pulling away and taking delight in the flush spreading across her creamy skin as she pulled herself up angrily, violet eyes flashing with ominous danger.

"You bastard," she said and her tone was flat, more pissed off than he had ever heard her. His answering smile was sickly sweet, a grim twist of his lips as he returned to his laptop, unruffled.

"Quite. But I suppose that's for dear Ryou to work out isn't it?"

He heard a slight intake of breath and he knew that he had won this as he turned to her, fixing her with the full force of his eyes.

"Let him trust you as much as you want, but you will not interfere in whatever I have planned for him." This was an order and he could see her ready to balk it. "Remember who pays you here."

A bark of harsh, morbid laughter. "You think this job is important to me? I'm as well known in this business as you are – my ties here are nothing."

"Except him," was the cajoling, sneaky answer which greeted her defiance, matching her raise with one of his own. "Think what people might do to him if you're not here." The sullen silence pointed out to him that that point was done and dusted, the marks going to him, raising the score in his favour. "You won't tell him, will you though? Because then you'll have to explain how you know and you don't want to do that, do you?"

Silence, tense and strained on her half, victorious for him since he already knew what her response was going to be.

"No…" A soft, defeated sighed. "I won't tell him. But I won't let you hurt him."

"You won't have any choice." Again, she had no words and his vicious smile was reflected in the screen of his laptop, lit up in eerie, crystalline colours before he dug the final nail in Mai as he nailed her to the cross she bore so willingly, the crucifier in this game. "Good bitch."

Her proud shoulders slumped momentarily and she sent him a lost look – oddly enough, there was no anger in that gaze, no condemnation. Just pity and he bristled at the emotion he sensed from her.

"Don't you ever get tired of it all, Seto?" she asked and she suddenly sounded old, tired and world weary.

"Tired of ruling my world?" A short chuckle, low and menacing. "Never. Here." The blonde looked over at the gilt edged envelope being waved enticingly at her and she balked, immediately disliking it.

"What do you expect me to do with that?" she asked flatly, locking her hands stubbornly in her lap as she eyed it with distaste.

"Just slip it into his pigeon hole," the brunette said smoothly, blue eyes glinting as a final sheet of lightening lit the room up in stark relief. The centre of the storm was rippling around them, bathing the tall building in the full force of its fury. "I would go myself, but why should I when I have you to do the work for me?"

He was rewarded with the sight of her eye twitching before her gaze fell downwards and the envelope was pulled from his fingers jerkily. "One of these days, someone's going to stop taking this from you and put you in your place."

"But it won't be you, will it?" Connection, on an eye level, was made and purposefully held. Eyelids shifted and the blonde broke the tension running between them as she slipped of the desk, normally graceful movements weighed down with a troubled air.

"No, it won't be me Seto," she murmured softly, desolation desperately trying to be hidden. "But I won't stop it when it happens."

"Why does that not surprise me?" The question was an obvious dismissal as the thundering rain gradually increased in sound, filling the room with its machine gun rattle against the window. The sound was so loud, he didn't even hear her footsteps as she let herself out of the room.

Then again, when had he ever cared what Mai did with her life?

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Heh, that's an interesting chapter. I'm intrigued by the contrast between the two halves, though the second half is by far my favourite.

**Reviews:**

**Incoherent: **I couldn't believe how fast you reviewed! It was amazing! It's also amazing how you picked out my own favourite line – that was certainly the bit of phrasing I was most proud of. Heh, more power struggles this time, just between different people now.

**RalphiereRedux: **Gee, thanks – just remind me of how long it took me to update XD That was a fun image I had – I really need to find someone to illustrate this…

**SnowIce: Bluuuuuuuuuush **You have a talent – you're so flattering you make me want to hide. Fanta, huh? It's Oasis for me – sweetcorn and Oasis, that's my combination for actually writing because it's what gets me hyper and when I get hyper, I write better stuff for some reason…Your best gift? **Bluuuuuuuush **There'll certainly be a lot more focusing on Mai, Jou, Kaiba and Ryou – they're certainly going to be the main characters, I think. See? The poking works!

**Wish He Was Mine: **You know you survived…and you were made a better person by the wait. **Humphs** Hopefully, I've fended off the airheads with my supposedly 'flowery' language. 0o Damn, you and your soda….TRACEE! HAH, TRACEE!

**Bakuraxryou: **Heh, I'm glad you like it. )

**Amichanfan12345:** You lost me in that rambling there, dearie ) **Snickers **I'm glad you like it though (I think you like it, I wasn't sure 0o)

**BobGod: Rolls eyes **Blasted hotmail despises my reviews – I didn't even get an alert for your one, I just randomly saw it appear! I'm glad you like it though – I adore your stories though. If I ever have a bad day, I just come home and read some of my favourite stories, some of yours included and I automatically feel better. )


	7. Lessons in Power

I'm sorry! (I seem to be saying this a lot!) I had this chapter done ages ago, finished, but then some idiot sent me a virus and my whole hard-drive got deleted. All my writing and half finished updates were destroyed, as well and perhaps more importantly, my mid term projects for school. All my time has been put into re-writing those, so that's why this is a wee bit late.

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"Are you deaf?"

Ryou winced as the vituperative comment lashed him with its acid burn and he attempted to stretch his neck out further, encouraged not so gently by a cold hand. A sharp pain was lancing down the side of his throat and there was a rather uncomfortable angle at which his leg was being held – it all felt so unnatural.

Are you confused? The poor boy sure was. Perhaps a wee foray back would explain this moment more.

Earlier that day, the young man had been frowning over the latest glossy print placed on his absurdly small desk when something had slapped down on top of the picture he had been examining. Predictably, Ryou yelped and stumbled, nearly falling over his own feet as he jerked away from the sudden, unidentified object that had startled him so.

"Damn, ya do scare easy," came the amused voice as a familiar skinny blonde slipped into a seat across from him, muffled as he bit into a very sugary doughnut. Recovering from his fight, Ryou scowled, but only succeeded in looking like a slightly peeved fluffy bunny.

"Jou!" he complained, flipping portfolio closed and rubbing his eyes tiredly – two hours into his day and he was already exhausted. How was he supposed to choose two pictures out of them all, just two, to demonstrate the full spectrum of talents he was supposed to possess.

"What?" The lanky blonde looked innocent as a pink tongue swiped a streak of sugar away from his lips before he got down to the busy task of erasing the rest of the white powder from his long fingers. Oddly compelled, Ryou sighed, his hand collapsing limply by the object Jou had slapped down on his desk, which turned out to be an envelope of some sorts – not that he was paying much attention.

Envelope or watching Jou lick his fingers – what would you choose to watch?

"Nothing…I'm just…tired I guess," he said lamely, absently toying with a pencil as he gave up on the portfolio for now, but the closed black file had already caught Jou's attention.

A blonde eyebrow quirked as the now clean hand reached across, flipping it deftly open again. "Submissions, huh?" he asked, summarising the problem immediately. "What for?"

Ryou nodded glumly, looking distastefully at the black file that had been occupying most of his morning. "This 'Model of the Month," thing," he said dejectedly, resting his chin in one hand. "Mai suggested I should go for it. To be honest, I need the money."

The blonde nodded sagely, fingers running through his artfully tousled peak of spun gold hair, the fine strands practically glittering in the bright light filtering through that ever present green glass. "Nah, nah – I understand." White teeth flashed in a conspiratorial grin. "I always go for it as well. Won a few times, but the going's pretty tough – ya really need ta pick da right pictures."

Jou always knew what to go, Ryou thought as he looked gratefully at the more experienced man as he rifled through the slim book, though a underlying niggle of doubt shadowed his thankful mood. Yesterday's words from Mai had haunted him and now, looking upon the blithely cheerful face that was currently inspecting his book, he was beginning to have his doubts – was she really right about the man that he considered to be such a close friend.

Since when had life gotten so complicated?

"Are the ones at the front taken this month? " The query from Jou broke Ryou's gloomy mental questioning and he looked blankly over at the slender blonde.

"Sorry, what?" he said finally after fruitlessly dredging his mind for whatever the blonde had just said. The model in question frowned slightly, but shrugged, obediently repeating the question.

"Are the ones at the front taken this month? You do know which ones you're allowed to choose from, right?"

Ryou nodded, passing a weary hand across his eyes. The rules of this frustrating, but necessary competition stated that only shots taken in the month being judged could be entered and there were about a dozen shots that he had been puzzling over. "They're all dated, Jou," he said tiredly, earning him a sympathetic look from his friend.

"Tired?" he asked needlessly, licking a thumb so he could easily flick through the glossy, laminated pages. From each picture, Ryou looked out at him, sometimes with a shy smile or a surprised grin. Many focused on the intensity of his dark eyes in contrast to his pale features and hair. Most were headshots instead of full body frames, allowing for even closer examination of the white haired teen's etched features. A scant number had other people in the shot, including some very familiar faces.

Ryou nodded, looking about ready to collapse despite it still being am hours and Jou clicked his tongue understandingly as he pushed a Styrofoam cup towards the younger man. "Any particular reason?" he asked amiably, amber eyes inspecting one shot with intent interest. Ryou hesitated, looking uneasy as familiar words wound a decreasing spiral within his skull.

"_Ryou, I know how much you like Jou, but don't put too much faith in him, okay?" _

Those words had been haunting him and much of last night had been spent staring blankly up at his ceiling, his poor mind in tatters as he sought to untangle the snarls of confusing thoughts littering his overly full head. How could he tell Jou that he wasn't sure he could trust him, so unsure that he was losing sleep over it? Hearing silence, one tawny iris fixed him with a quizzical gaze as Jou tilted his head to one side, golden hair falling messily into those questioning eyes. "Bambi?"

"_Don't let him in too deep else he'll hurt you real bad and probably won't give it a second thought." _

In the end, Ryou forced a smile and shook his head in what he hoped was a careless gesture. "I stayed up a bit late with my roommates last night, that's all," he said reassuringly, crossing his fingers in his lap and hoping that this answer would prove satisfactory.

His luck was in that day as Jou nodded and returned to the folder which he was examining. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Ryou sent a mental thank you to his guardian angel, if he had one. The danger over, is attention could spread to more mundane things, such as the cup Jou had pushed towards him. Cupping it in both hands, he savoured the warmth radiating through the foamy surface of the cup and the curling wisp of steam identified the contents as coffee.

Black coffee.

Whether Ryou could trust him or not, right now, Jou was an angel – an angel with caffeinated beverages and a halo like steam from a cappuccino machine.

"What about these ones?" Mild brown eyes, placated by the promise of caffeine in his blood stream turned towards the three photos Jou had deftly unclipped from within the binder, spreading them on the table. Two were perhaps the most recent of his shots, while the other had been one of the very first he had taken this month, in his whole career in fact. The two newer ones were the ones closer to him so he reached over, pulling the first in front of him. His own face looked out at him, a slightly unnerving experience to say the least. To see his own countenance staring out of the picture, soft in its black and white glossiness…

A headshot, it had been taken when some photographers had wanted to experiment with some lighting techniques and, liking Ryou's patient and hopeful manner, they had asked him to sit for them. Eager to help, Ryou had obliged and he had spent a pleasant afternoon chatting with all of the 'little people' as Otogi had called them, while they had messed around with standing lamps and scattered bulbs and filters across the lens of some odd magnifying glass. He may not have understood what they were doing, but it had been pleasant to speak to some people outside of the pressures of the shoot and his shy nature had endeared him to the hardworking photographers, so used to being taken for granted. In the end, looking over the shots, his easy mood had made him all the more beautiful and as a thank you they had run him off a copy of his best shot. The shot depicted him laughing softly at some joke a particularly sarcastic lighting technician had cracked, something that had set the whole group off. The lighting had been soft, illuminating his flawless skin and one click of the button had happened to catch him mid laugh, the skin at the corners of his eyes wrinkling in amusement and the flash had frozen him in the middle of brushing his tousled hair away from his face. Even unstyled and uncoiffed, he was beautiful in his own natural state and such pure contentment radiated out from him in this fluke of a shot that was only meant to be a print to see how a new brand of lightbulb would work.

Guess he was lucky like that…

The other recent photo had been more planned – an official shoot in fact instead of a group of people laughing and joking around with cameras. A larger set this time, it had been the first time he had met Isis. A stately woman, tall and tanned, he had been shocked to find that she was actually the sister of the handsome, if crude Marik. Compared his wicked grins and innuendo laced words, the quiet serenity of the raven haired woman was a sharp contrast. Clearly seasoned at this game, she had nodded gently to him, resting a palm carefully and puzzlingly on his head before the make up team heralded her and she walked away, leaving a bemused Ryou behind. Still, however odd she might have been, the Egyptian woman was a good worker to bounce off of and they'd snapped the shot in no time. Taken from above, the pale teen was resting with his head upon her flat stomach, a few strands of white hair wrapped around Isis' fingers. The ease with which she had slipped into this pose, her face perfectly calm with a hint of a smile as her startlingly blue eyes gazed down towards Ryou. He'd been uneasy about a new shoot, angsting about how to interact with this unshakeable woman, but her gentle manner had quickly got the shoot set up and he was surprised by how comfortable he had felt in such an intimate position with what he would consider a stranger. Not that he was a stranger to her apparently – Marik had clearly been relaying anecdotes to his much more socially reclusive sister, despite not having even mentioned her to Ryou. All the while, between film changes and light adjustments, Isis had absently kept stroking the top of his head, a quiet stream of general questions coming from her perfect lips, questions that he answered as best he could, though he did flush ruby-like when the word 'Bambi' entered the conversation, as well as a sudden urge to kill Marik. Still, the end shot was wonderful – with her tanned skin and dark hair as a contrast to his overall paleness; in black and white, the two were perfect.

And the final one…Ryou couldn't help, but stroke the edge of the glossy page lightly with one reverent finger. This was the shot of him, looking nervously innocent, sitting on a nondescript set of steps in nondescript clothes. What stopped it from being a nondescript photo was the flawless youth his face possessed.

That and the fact he was sandwiched between two men who were so beautiful it made your heart ache. Kaiba and Otogi – they were the perfect compliment to his purity and despite the casual smiles on their handsome faces, one could almost sense the rivalry emanating in strong waves from something that was merely paper and ink.

"I like dat one as well..." Ryou looked up at Jou with a small smile on his face, not surprised to see that those warm amber eyes were fixed on a pair of green printed ones.

"You like it because it has Otogi in it, don't you?" he asked softly and was rewarded with the barest hint of a blush on his friend's normally careless features. Ducking his head, corn colored hair fell forward to obscure his face as Jou nodded minutely and Ryou impulsively leaned over to cover one of the blonde's large hands with his own smaller one. "You're really serious about him…aren't you, Jou?"

Another tiny nod and the shaggy haired man sighed, leaning back in his chair with a suddenly soft look in his melting eyes. "He's sweet, 'Togi, he takes care of me," the blonde said simply before he coughed, immediately reverting to his previous jovial nature. "If I were you, I'd pick that group one and yer headshot. Probably provides the best contrast." There was a roguish glint in Jou's tawny eyes and Ryou felt a grin forming on his face as he nodded his agreement, putting the two chosen photos on his outbox, ready to be copied and added to the contest entries.

"So what was dat letter 'bout?" Jou asked, finally letting his curiosity show as he nodded to the envelope he himself had delivered. His white haired friend shook his head, reaching for it and running a light finger along the gilded edge.

"I'm not so sure…" he said, delicate features already showing a tracery of worry, coupled with a good blend of puzzlement. "I wasn't expecting anything…"

Following Jou's gestures to open it, Ryou did so, unnecessarily neatly as well (call it a quirky habit) Mahogany eyes scanning the brief paragraph of neatly written cursive, the script efficient and sharp in its clear cut way, Ryou suddenly felt an urge for a drink stronger than coffee.

This was bound to be stressful…

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"You took your own sweet time in coming."

Ryou shuffled his feet nervously, head automatically falling towards the door as he instinctively mumbled an apology. "I came as fast as I could. I'm really sorry, I am. Really."

"Did you always grovel like this or is it a nasty habit you picked up from Otogi's pet puppy?" Faced with that knife-like voice, the whitenette cringed slightly, not having a satisfactory answer for such a pointed statement. Clearly, silence was not the way to go about this since the person watching him abruptly stood up and stalked towards him with easy grace. Feeling cold and insensitive fingers gripping his chin, Ryou's gaze was jerked up to meet an icy blue stare and an involuntary shiver ran down the length of his spine.

"Don't give this timid crap – it doesn't sell well," Kaiba said flatly, examining Ryou's nervous face as he tilted his chin first to one side and then the other, his eyes calculatingly assessive. "You have the looks, I'll give you that, but you have no idea how to use it to your own advantage." All the smaller youth could do was stare helplessly into that compelling azure gaze and try to ignore the unwanted sheet lightening that danced across any part of his skin the brunette was touching.

_Oh no…_

"You have no presence," Kaiba continued on, still gripping his chin with callous fingers. "You need to be able to walk into a room and immediately draw the attention of everyone in it. You need to be the one that _everyone _looks at." He gave a cold, self-satisfied smirk. "Like me." It should have been immodest, but as Kaiba released his chin and Ryou rubbed numb fingers against his still tingling skin, he realized that he /was/ watching Kaiba. Everyone did – you just couldn't help, but be mesmerized by his aura of complete and utter confidence, his height, his good looks.

"It will never happen if you stand there like that," Kaiba snapped and Ryou jerked to attention, looking down at himself in nervous confusion. Kaiba might have had a point there – with his hands fisted anxiously in the long sleeves of his black shirt and one leg rubbing restlessly against the back of his opposite calf…well, it just wasn't very special. "Stand up straight." Hearing the curt order, Ryou complied quickly, nearly falling over in his efforts to suddenly liken his back to a ramrod poker. "You're a bit on the short side for modeling lark, so you need to think tall."

_Think tall? What the hell?_

"Oh don't look so bland – at least give me some sort of sign that you actually have a personality," the taller man grumbled as he stepped forward an set about arranging the whitenette's body as if he were a vase of flowers. Once again, Ryou felt that forboding shiver that ran liquid trails of goosebumps along the skin on his arms, underneath the blessedly obscuring cloth of his shirt and his throat went uncomfortably tight. This was not good, not at all. It wasn't good to be so close to a man who obviously had no cares for anyone other than himself, but then how did that translate for him being here? Was Kaiba actually…_helping _him? Ryou winced as a rough hand gripped his wrist and placed his own hand on the bird-bone rise of his hip. If this was help, he didn't want it.

"If you hold your head like that, it makes your neck look stubby. Straighten it out." Still far too nervous about being this close to one of the top models in the company, the whitenette barely processed this remark, concentrating more on not letting his hands tremble. He could feel the heat radiating out from Kaiba and there was a moment of light headedness that didn't bode well for the more finely built youth.

"Are you deaf?"

Ryou winced as the vituperative comment lashed him with its acid burn and he attempted to stretch his neck out further, encouraged not so gently by a cold hand. A sharp pain was lancing down the side of his throat and there was a rather uncomfortable angle at which his leg was being held – it all felt so unnatural.

"That's better." Stepping backwards, Kaiba ran a cool gaze over the shivering Ryou, raising an eyebrow at the blush crossing the smaller man's pale cheeks and the way he wouldn't meet his eyes. Well, that certainly made things easier from his side of things. If the boy was infatuated, he would be that much easier to twist and bend to his own purposes.

Bending him over a desk would be particularly fun.

Ryou willed the vermillion stain of his cheeks to disappear – he could even feel his ears burning with a mix of confusion and heated emotion. This was embarrassing, highly so and it didn't help that he couldn't fathom what he was supposed to be doing here. Still…at least he wasn't being fired. All week, people had been receiving summons to some of the higher executives of Golden Eye. This was the turning point – for all the not so new recruits now, this was the end of their trial period, their probation and only so many could be kept on the pay roll. Some were easy to cut, others not so easy, but there had been a steady trickle of nervous, if beautiful people up towards some of the higher levels and an outflow of the self same rejects, often in tears, their dreams dashed. He had been paranoid, the worry leaving him sitting up on a few occasions as he watched and wondered and obsessed. Despite assurances from both Mai and Jou that there was no chance of him being laid off, the worry still gnawed at him. Still, there was only the rest of this week to survive and then he would be safe.

As safe as you could be with Kaiba watching you with those unreadable sapphire eyes.

"You'll do, but you'll never get anywhere if you don't act as if you deserve to get there," was all Kaiba said as he stalked over to his desk, lounging in his chair with casual arrogance, as always, leaving Ryou standing in confusion, still locked in the unnatural pose.

Was he allowed to move now that Kaiba had or was he expected to stay there? His neck was aching and the beginnings of a headache would only be blamed on the high amounts of stress this meeting was putting on him. Cautiously, he lowered his neck slightly and when he received no reaction, the whitenette gave a relieved sigh, relaxing somewhat though his body regained a degree of nervous skittishness, as if he were a horse about to bolt.

"I assume you've picked out some shots for this monthly scuffle," the brunette intoned boredly, sipping at a steaming cup of coffee as he leafed through a stack of papers, looking every inch the businessman as he did so. Ryou nodded wordlessly, picking up his worn and battered shoulder bag that Kaiba had flung on the floor the moment they had started this insane 'pose' rehearsal. Rummaging quickly in its depths, he pulled out his portfolio where he kept the spare copies of the shots he had sent off to be added to the entries and wordlessly placed them in front of the man who probably held the most power in this whole company. Hovering nervously, mahogany eyes skittered across the two chosen photos as Kaiba inspected them meticulously, one graceful hand still holding his metallic silver coffee flask, an item that looked vaguely buglike, alien.

_Even his coffee looks menacing…_

"This one is adequate," Kaiba said finally, tapping the headshot with one long forefinger before he turned to the other one, "But this shot won't do."

Puzzlement must have registered on Ryou's open features because Kaiba sighed in exasperating, abruptly shoving it back towards the photo's owner. "You're not the focus. Only give photos where you know you're the only one everyone will be looking at. In this one, people will be more interested in me and that black haired fool, not a kid like you."

The words were blunt and made Ryou flush with embarrassment, but they weren't actively malicious. Just cold. And impersonal. It was quite clear that Kaiba didn't consider him worth being malevolent to. "So don't use it. Find another one." From the way Kaiba turned away back to his paperwork and his menacing coffee, Ryou took that to be a dismissal and, picking up his photos, started to back away, mumbling a few words by way of apology.

"Don't grovel, it's not dignified," came the curt comment, its speaker not even looking up from his work and Ryou inwardly sighed. He really was never going to get the hang of this.

"Bakura." The clipped heralding stopped Ryou at the door, his hand on the handle of the green glass door as he sent a wary look back behind him towards the blue eyed brunette. "I expect you back here at the same time tomorrow. You're such a hopeless case, I've decided you need extra training." Blue eyes lingered on the whitenette for a few brief seconds before returning to their work, Kaiba's attention obviously having been withdrawn from him for now.

"Yes Sir…." Ryou whispered, ducking in a small bow before he practically ran out of the room, nearly slamming into Jou who had been waiting outside.

"Did it go 'kay?" the blonde asked, his puppy dog eyes clearly worried as he shot the door to Kaiba's office a suspicious glance and Ryou nodded minutely, attempting to erase his confused look.

"I've not been fired or anything," he said hurriedly, trying to assure the taller youth that everything was in fact alright.

_At least I hope so._

So engrossed was he in keeping Jou's worries away, he didn't hear the quiet hiss of Kaiba's door opening and he didn't feel those icy eyes boring into his back. He wasn't aware that another person was watching him and he didn't even comprehend that there might have been anything at all special about a person like him, that there would be an internal war raging over his pretty little head.

So occupied was he that he didn't see Kaiba look towards Mai who had been leaning against a dark corner, guarding him in her own little way. He didn't see the triumphant look in blue eyes or the disconsolate expression in violet ones and he never even sensed the worry radiating off the proud woman as her heart broke for him and she quietly slipped back into the shadows.

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HAHA! It's only taken me seven chapters, but we finally get some decent Seto/Ryou interaction! Haha!

**Reviews:**

**BobGod: Snicker** Evil's a bit harsh – Seto's beyond evil in his own strange way. Kaiba invented something totally different from evil XD It wasn't a compliment dear – it was the truth

**Amichanfan12345: **He's not anorexic! He's also not a bastard – bastard is a matter of opinion and/or parentage :P

**RalphiereRedux: **Damn, Seto is coming off as pretty evil – I'm just making things hard for myself, aren't I? How on earth am I going to make this story work…

**SnowIce: Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuush **It did work – I had the chapter written really quickly before I lost it. Anyway, I have definite plans for those two – I don't think anyone will be expecting it though. Mwuahahahaha! Yeah, it is supposed to be a Seto/Ryou fic….EVEN THOUGH THE CURSED AUTHOR DIDN'T EVEN GET THEM TO INTERACT PROPERLY UNTIL CHAPTER SEVEN! I'm an idiot….I feel sad for Mai as well – I feel so bad for being this evil to her.

**Incoherant: Lawyer Voice **Lell can give no information as to future plans for one Jounouchi Katsuya, nor for Ishtar Malik or Motou Yuugi since rabid fans would probably try and slaughter her for such evil ideas and as of today, the author has gone into hiding. XD Yep – Adam and Eve refers to Mai and Seto, but more on that later…

**Kitsune's Grrl: **I love plot twists! Can you tell?

**Elle-Fatex-: **Seto does have his reasons – it might have to do with the huge stick up his ass, but still….there are reasons and he will get better, I think. I think? I THINK? I'm the author, I should know!

**Sugarholic: **I tried to keep him in character XD

**Miyosuke: **You are special, and I'm sorry you had to wait so long for an update. Damn computer…anyway, I'm frantically trying to plan out chapters and it does seem to be getting mighty long. They only just met for Ra's sake! Le sigh. Anyway, I think Masterpiece is pushing it – you should check out some of my favourites list for real masterpieces!


	8. We All Have Our Reasons

Feel free to shoot me – please, do. I've been naughty and letting other plot bunnies run away with me. Tell you what – if any of you have livejournals, mine is set as my homepage and it'd be very easy to nag me there. Really – I cave under pressure so constant nagging is the best way to make me actually do anything (ask my teachers XD)

Anyway – bit of a borderline chapter here. Implied lemon and self pleasure. And, oh my God, Seto and Ryou are actually in this chapter together! For a Seto/Ryou story, they don't feature much, do they?

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"Oh God, sweetie, how did you get down there?"

The whitenette gave a low groan, opening a tiny crack of his eye, looking up to see a very familiar face peering down at him worriedly. Blonde hair fell forwards over one shoulder; a slim hand paused in the motion of pushing said hair back as the woman leant over him. He let his eye fall back closed when he finally focused enough to see that the woman was Mai and he just waved a listless hand at her.

"Ehh…lessons…stretching…models need to be, heh, fit and, ouch, flexible," he managed to say, croaking over the first few words before he frowned, feeling cool hands lifting him up into a sitting position.

"Translation, please," Mai remonstrated gently, blowing her fringe out of her eyes as she pulled Ryou up easily – the kid was smaller than her, probably lighter as well and it was odd to see him so…limp and lax. Where was the quiet energy he normally had?

Ryou just gave a slightly insane sounding chuckle as he finally opened his eyes, rubbing a sweat-streaked face with his hand. "It's these private lessons – they're killing me! Three hours. Three hours of stretching and limbering exercises, most of which involve him shoving my face into the ground while I try and stop my legs from tearing out of the split he made me try. I ache all over, I haven't had a drink all day and I think I've got carpet burn on the insides of my thighs…ouch."

Violet eyes blinked as Mai watched her young friend rub petulantly at his slim side, amusement pulling at her lips until finally she started chuckling. Chuckling escalated into chortling and chortling crescendoed into full laughter as Ryou sent her a startled look, his hand still resting on his belly.

"Mai…" he asked tentatively, clearly unnerved by her sudden bout of laughter. "You alright?"

Abdomen still spasming with the occasional bubble of laughter, Mai struggled to contain her amusement as she slapped a hand lightly down on Ryou's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bambi…it's just funny to hear you like this." In response to his questioning look, Mai squeezed her eyes shut in teasing humour. "You normally scramble around to please everyone else – it's a new thing to hear you complain for once."

Ryou's cheeks instantly burnt scarlet as he ducked his head, automatically lapsing into his customary mumble. "Oh, I wasn't complaining really…I was just…just…"

An arched eyebrow on Mai's part. "Pissed off at Kaiba?"

"Nononono!" Ryou's flustered attempts to look perky only succeeded in re-starting Mai's chuckles as she sank down onto her knees in front of him, demonstrating surprising ease considering the height of her boots and the shortness of her skirt. "Kaiba's being so kind to me – he's helping me…he really is."

"And this 'help' ends up with you on the floor?" Mai laughed at the peevish look on her friend's face as he struggled to come up with some plausible explanation for his ground-boundness that didn't revolve around the idea of Kaiba working him until his muscles were limp noodles – why didn't the kid just admit it and get over it. Her face darkened momentarily in private worry, but it was perfectly bright by the time he looked up again, mumbling something incoherent about lying on the floor being good for your posture and all that…she offered him a hand and he shut up, looking blankly at it. "C'mon Ryou – let's go get you some coffee."

Those limpid brown eyes of his lit up and you could almost see the perkiness flowing into him. "Coffee?" he asked hopefully, letting the taller woman pull him to his feet. "Really?"

Mai laughed, pushing her golden braid over her shoulder as she looped a careless arm around his shoulders, steering him towards the main room the employees used in their spare time. "You're easily pleased," she commented lightly, even as she suppressed a frown at his slight limp. What was Kaiba thinking pushing him so hard?

"I think I've come to realise that coffee is lifeblood around here," Ryou commented, a slightly wry twist to his lips as he shyly twined an arm around his friend's waist. He was blessed to have her, he realised and she seemed so…willing to help. And she had coffee!

Mai shook her head in mock sadness, eyes glistening with her own brand of pointed humour. "How we've corrupted you, child…" Ignoring his protesting squawks, she ushered him over to the coffee machine. A rather familiar group was congregated around it and the two were greeted with three pairs of welcoming eyes; one amber, one crimson and one lavender.

"Well, don't you two look like a regular couple of lovebirds," Marik drawled as he sipped at a steaming cup of coffee, an eyebrow arched towards Mai and Ryou. The latter blushed and ducked his head, while the former just laughed and tugged Ryou all the closer.

"Jealous, Ra?" Mai asked innocently, bringing the blush on Ryou's cheeks to new levels.

"Aren't we all?" Yami's statement was accompanied by a lecherous look, with perfect class of course. "And there I was thinking you were a man's man."

Jou burst into laughter at that, though cackling might have been a more appropriate term. "Bambi? He's as bad as the rest of us."

Ryou blushed and looked down at the floor, starting slightly when the blonde's arm found its way over his _other _shoulder. "Nothing ta be ashamed of, Ryou," Jou murmured against his ear, seriously enough before he straightened up, squeezing the smaller youth's shoulder companionably. "He sets his sights high enough anyway."

"I second that," Marik said and Yami nodded, the two touching their cups together in a silent toast of agreement while Ryou looked adorably confused.

"Huh?" High sights? What were these crazy, beautiful people on about?

"You mean you don't wanna get into Kaiba's pants?" Now that made Ryou splutter and he missed the reproachful glare that Mai sent the blonde on the other. Narrowly avoiding a fountain of coffee from his nose, Ryou coughed helplessly on his mouthful of hot liquid until Jou pounded him on the back. Gasping for breath, Ryou turned large, startled eyes towards the puppyish man.

"Kaiba? Why would I want to get into Kaiba's…um…" If possible, he flushed darker, the cue for the group to chuckle wickedly.

"Are you kidding me?" Marik asked with forthright brashness, leaning against the machine. "You've been having 'private' lessons with him for a week now. Kaiba's never done that before…"

"He hasn't?"

"No. Besides," Yami shrugged, folding his arms across his narrow chest. "You're always watching him – we figured there was some sort of interest in the guy and I can't blame you." White teeth bloomed in the slight man's tanned face. "The guy's hot!"

"Hot and an ass," Marik corrected, looking down at his smaller, spiky-haired friend.

"An ass with a hot ass," Yami finished, sending both of them into peals of laughter while Ryou absently wondered if the floor would be so kind as to swallow him up there and then.

"Get your minds out of the gutter, you two," Mai chided, still with her arm around Ryou even if it meant she made contact with Jou. Despite her parental look, she couldn't deny that Ryou's attempts to covertly watch the brunette all the time were fairly amusing even if it worried her.

"What they're tryin' ta say, Bambi," Jou offered helpfully, raking a hand through his artfully messy hair, "Is that you've got a thing for our resident Dragon."

"What?" Ryou's voice squeaked in sheer panic, but he barely noticed as he rushed onwards, words tripping over themselves in his hurry to get them out. "No, no – I wouldn't, I mean I'm definitely not, I mean _Kaiba…_"

"You Bakura?" A bored voice startled him out of his vocal ramblings and he turned to blink up at the dark suited, indifferent looking man who'd just tapped him on the shoulder. Behind him, he could sense the other's looking on curiously, but his own gaze was focused on the envelope the man thrust towards him after he nodded, confirming that yes he was Bakura Ryou. "This is from Pegasus."

"Really?" Ryou asked as he reached for then envelope tentatively, weighing it in his palm whilst looking to the man for confirmation. Not that he received any, since the dark man was already stalking off, probably to scare the shit out of someone else…

"Lessons with Kaiba _and _a letter from Pegasus," Marik said after the stunned silence in the group proved to last too long. "Well aren't you the popular one."

Jou elbowed the platinum blonde, clearly itching to find out what was in the envelope Ryou was only turning between his hands. "You gonna open it, Ryou or just play with it?"

"Do you have no shame?" Mai asked the blonde man, getting an innocent smile as her answer. Her own smile was just as bland, only livening up when she turned back to Ryou and grinned. "He's right though – open, open, open."

So he did.

"Whoa…" Ryou's eyes, if possible, got that much larger as he looked at the cheque that slithered out onto his palm, not even noting the scrap of paper that fluttered to the floor. "That's…a lot of money."

Yami looked over the whitenette's shoulder and whistled in admiration. "You lucky dog – what's that for?"

Ryou looked perplexed, flustered even as he held the cheque uncertainly – this was more money than he'd ever held at one time and he didn't quite know what to do with it. It was as much as two month's wages back at his old job in the restaurant, even plus tips. "I have no idea…"

"I do." Everyone turned to look at a jubilant-seeming Jou who was holding the forgotten note, bouncing from foot to foot in a jig of delight. "He won – the little guy won!"

"You what?" Marik asked blankly trying in vain to swipe the note from the blonde, but he was moving around too much, cackling in amusement.

"He won!" Jou repeated, nearly crowing now, such was his excitement. "Ryou won the Monthly Award and on his first try as well – he must have beaten some of the big guys as well." Jou paused in his antics just long enough to count names off on his long fingers. "Isis went in for it, I know that; so did Raphael, Amelda and Varon so there was some tough competition. Honda as well, that squirt Rebecca, so he beat them, plus Mako, Dartz…"

"Don't forget you, Mutt."

All eyes swivelled towards that oh so familiar mocking voice, greeting the owner with varying emotions. Marik and Yami were merely amused, eyes rolling towards each other before watching the scene before them with avid interest. This was bound to be good…

Mai's smiling face darkened stormily, her eyes like cold, cut gems as they bored into the smirking brunette. Still, if you looked close enough and knew what to look for, you might just have seen a glimmer of deference, of tenderness towards this stony man.

As for Jou, his face was painted with a scowl, hackles on edge after the Mutt comment.

"Excuse me?" he asked shortly, flipping the note abruptly to Ryou who barely caught it, fumbling the toss. "What was that supposed to mean?"

Kaiba just smiled, icily, stalking that much closer to the happy (or not so now) little group. "You're taking it very nobly, dog – I know you and Ryuuji were hoping to have you win this time." The smile didn't reach those eyes of his, chilling in their intensity. "Beaten by a green model, how shaming…"

Having effectively rendered Jou speechless with rage, the man turned his attentions towards Ryou who was inching behind Mai in an effort to escape the scene. Walking forwards, he was blocked by the blonde woman who didn't move an inch until he met her eyes. Violet irises were steady, defiant…until they dulled slightly and her head dropped almost imperceptibly as she moved her barring shoulder, letting Kaiba pass.

Ryou resisted the urge to cringe, Kaiba's own words coming back to him._ Think tall – every second of every minute, think tall. Maybe that way, your body language will stop screaming victim…_The words were harsh, but the slender young man took them to heart as he straightened up, looking towards Kaiba, only expecting to find indifferent malice…

…Instead he found a sultry smile.

"You've been learning well," Kaiba nearly _purred_ as he leaned in predatorily towards Ryou, earning him confused looks from Marik and Yami and suspicious ones from Mai and Jou. "You're doing your teacher credit…"

And what was he supposed to say to that? Ryou's throat suddenly went tight, noticing (and not for this first time) just how beautiful those glacial eyes were. "Thank you…" he managed to say finally, fingers knotting and loosening as a sign of his agitation.

_Think tall – every second, ever minute, think tall._

Kaiba's eyes glimmered briefly with a suddenly sly look as he lifted one, long finger, letting it hover in front of Ryou's face.

_Maybe that way, your body language will stop screaming victim._

The whitenette nearly went cross-eyed as he tried to watch the finger moving inwards, but his vision went blurry, pixellated and he lost it. Instead he felt the pad brush the bud of his upper lip, swiping something away and as his vision refocused, all he was aware of was Kaiba's lips closing sinfully slowly around the pad of his finger.

"Coffee moustache," the man said silkily, shooting both Mai and Jou triumphant looks before he sauntered off, smooth and suave as ever, leaving a very dazed Ryou with a very quick heartbeat.

_Think tall…_

888

Otogi ran a tired hand through his hair as he waited for the elevator doors to slide open. He was exhausted – the meeting with Pegasus had run on longer than he had expected or wanted and all he wanted to do now was fall into bed.

Problem was, as soon as he walked into his bedroom, he could tell there was someone already in it.

"Jou?" he asked softly, spying a head of messy blonde hair and stroking it gently as he perched on the edge of the bed. "What are you doing here?"

The lump stirred and Jou's head rose, blinking sleepily as he stifled a yawn. "'Togi?"

The black haired man nodded, moving some of that adorably messy hair off of his lover's face, looking vaguely concerned. "Are you alright, Jou? I thought you were going out with your sister tonight."

"She cancelled," Jou mumbled, eyes losing their sleepy look as he sat up groggily, rubbing the nape of his neck. "Kaa-San says her headaches are getting worse – she's getting' dem nearly every day now…"

Mutely sympathetic, Otogi placed his hand over the blonde's feeling fingers grip his almost desperately. The matter of Shizuka's sight always made Jou this vulnerable, this low and it was painful to see the vibrant young man with such a dull look in those glorious eyes of his. He didn't say anything – they'd said it all before and words couldn't ease the pain he saw in Jou's face.

"I'm sorry…"

The cracked whisper came, surprisingly, from the blonde in question as he rested his forehead against the smaller man's shoulder, facial muscles slack with mental turmoil. Otogi frowned, squeezing Jou's hand all the harder.

"What for?"

"For not getting the monthly award…"

Otogi's eyes flashed with understanding and he pulled away from Jou, holding him tightly by the shoulders. "Jou! There is no way in hell you should be apologising to me about something as trivial as that!"

"But we needed it," Jou said persistently, meeting Otogi's green eyes fervently. "We need everything we can to pull ahead-"

"What we need," the black haired man interrupted, motioning for the blonde to hush up. "Is for you not to worry and stop guilting yourself out over it." Sensing the unease in his lover's face, Otogi looked intently at him. "Hey….don't be like that. We're doing great as it is and we're almost there. Pegasus has to make a decision soon and we're doing so well…we'll have enough for your sister's operation soon. I promise."

Jou's eyes were overly bright as he nodded, chest suddenly tight. "Yeah…you're right."

"I'm always right," Otogi said with just a hint of cockiness before grinning and pulling Jou into a hug. "So no more worrying, okay?"

"Am I allowed to worry about Ryou instead?" the blonde muttered against his slender partner's shoulder, earning himself a sharp look as Otogi slowly pulled back from the hug.

"We've been over this, Jou…" he said carefully, tugging absently on the dice shaped earring that served as a focusing tool.

"I know, I know…" Pathetic depression was gradually escalating into aggrieved anxiety and Jou started fidgeting, playing with the corner of the silk bedsheets. "But ya didn't see him today, with Kaiba – he's falling for the bastard so hard an' I don't wanna see him hurt. Not like this."

As his blonde lover lapsed into silence, Otogi sighed, flopping back down on the pillows and looking up towards the shadowy ceiling with unreadable eyes. "Jou…I warned you this would happen."

"You did, but I'm not like you 'Togi!" Jou snapped suddenly, eyes flashing as he sat up on his knees, staring down at the sprawled out man on the bed. "I can't just turn off my feelings like you can – I see Ryou an' I just wanna keep him away from Kaiba for good, so that he don't get hurt and he don't get his heart stomped on. He's my friend for fuck's sake and can you blame me for wanting ta try ta save him?"

"I'm not saying that you shouldn't want to," Otogi said soothingly, reaching up to rest a hand on Jou's hip, fingers rubbing gently at the rise of bone he found there. "I like Ryou as much as you do, but this is business now. And we both know that with what Kaiba's doing, Ryou isn't going to be Ryou for much longer."

Jou shook his head, as if in denial, but his shoulders slumped in something akin to defeat. "He's too sweet ta have to be drawn into this…no-one should have ta be used like that."

Green eyes glimmered with wry amusement, the stroking on Jou's hip becoming all the more languid and lazy. "Some people say that I'm only using _you _to make money."

Jou snorted, despite the grin creeping over his mouth as he shifted that little bit closer. "Course not – you're just using me for sex."

"I've been accused of that as well…" Otogi said glibly, hand shifting upwards so he could pull Jou down towards him, appreciating the lanky frame resting on top of him. "And I thank God every day for having found such a willing victim." Jou smacked him. "Sorry, did I say victim? I mean sex-toy." Another hit. "Fine, fine, fine…" Nibbling delicately at the base of Jou's throat, Otogi smiled, a hand creeping up under the blonde's shirt. "I love you…"

"You say that to everyone you charm into bed." Jou's words may have been flippant, but his eyes glowed darkamber, only closing when Otogi kissed him, effectively distracting him from his sister, Ryou and Kaiba.

888

The pounding water with its driving heat washed the traces of Ryou's frustration, liquid swirling down the drain. The white-haired male leant against the tiled wall, narrow chest rising and falling rapidly as he closed his eyes in something resembling shame. It had haunted him – that brush of skin and callous eyes, even if he did have the feel that nothing would have happened if Kaiba hadn't been proving _something _to Mai and Jou…

But it didn't matter, whatever the cause because he could still feel that finger against his lips. Even here, in his shower, with every fibre of his skin being assailed by hot water, he could still feel the cold, impersonal touch and it chilled him while exciting him at the same time.

The viscous evidence was currently being swept away, out of sight, but not out of mind.

Panting from his exertion, Ryou flipped wet hair out of his eyes, the snowy incandescence not dulled by the water soaking into it. Why? Why was he so desperate as to crave such an impersonal touch?

Brown eyes looked around despondently as he finally roused himself from the depressing afterglow, a pale hand groping around until he found the shower handle, turning it until with a sullen rattling, the flow of water shutting off gradually.

"You've really gotten yourself into trouble this time, Ryou," he muttered to himself, stepping out into the steamy bathroom and reaching for a towel to twine haphazardly around his waist. "Kaiba? Kaiba who everyone doesn't like? Kaiba who seems to want to work you to death half the time? Kaiba who's the most beautiful person you know…?"

Ryou sighed, swatting his own forehead as he shook himself vehemently, water flying everywhere. "You're an idiot," he told himself ruefully, looking up into the mirror. The surface was obscured with steam and condensation, so he reached out to wipe it away with one long fingered hand.

He examined the face that looked back at him, just trying to see the thing everyone else seemed to see. A delicate face peered out from the mirror, mouth set with tension, cheeks flushed from the heat. Brown eyes; confused as always, white hair; messy as always, a look that did indeed scream victim…

"And you think you're a model…" he grumbled to himself, letting the mirror steam back up again. "You're a fool…"

"Ryou?" A knock at the door startled him and he flinched, hurriedly stepping away from the sink as if he had something to be ashamed of. "Are you alright in there?"

"I'm fine, Malik," he called and even to his ears, his voice sounded strained.

The chef made a disbelieving noise as he shook his head in aggravation, turning and walking away from the bathroom, carrying his heavy groceries. "You've been in there for a while – dinner's almost ready." Malik could hear the sounds of his friend rushing around in the room behind him and stifled a sigh. Models really were crazy…

888

**Reviews:**

**Elle-Fatex-: **Interesting's one word for it – it would be more interesting if I actually concentrated on the main plot for once, ne?

**Incoherent: Nods **Viruses are definitely evil – they threw my writing schedule right off track! Shush! No one's supposed to have noticed that Mokuba isn't here yet. **Flattens ears** I really need to get the plot moving, don't I? Anyway – isn't fluffy Ryou kitten just the darndest? XD

**BobGod – who isn't BobGod anymore, but I dunrememberhowtospellyournamesoyeah…:** I hope Egypt was good and don't worry about delayed review – delayed chapter on my part. Anyway…Kaiba is pretty scary. **Looks sheepish **Someone attacked me because my Seto was always more indifferent than scary, so this was the result!

**Repmet: **I always have more than enough plot – I'm one of those people who needs to have every single detail set out in their mind before they can write anything XD

**Happiness's Deceit: Looks mysterious **All shall be revealed about Mai in the next few chapters…

**Kitsune's Grrl: **Yeah, I did some pretty rapid plot changes in the middle of writing this, but I hope it turns out well! **Crosses fingers**

**Miyosuke: Blushes **You're so sweet – I'm glad someone thinks my story's a masterpiece **Is very proud now** Anyway – I really need to have more Seto/Ryou interaction in this story. Maybe I should make a midyear resolution or something…

**Trempush: **I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter. I'm infamous for my random update times. Anyway – random point, but I read your 'Darcy' fic. A Tintin reader! **Chortles** I recognised the Haddock lines and had a good giggle over it…

Next chapter, the modelling crew meets our Bambi's roommates…


	9. Trust Me

Wow…866 hits since the last update. That's pretty cool.

888

"You, Seto, are an ass, a bastard and a heartless man to boot."

"Well, isn't that nice to hear?" Kaiba didn't even look up from his work at the one who had just insulted him so. "Are you feeling particularly hormonal, Mai, or is there an actual reason behind this outburst of yours?"

The blonde sneered at him, irritation painted all over her pretty face as she stalked over to the younger man's desk, the door she had slammed open falling shut behind her just as abruptly. "Always ready with the smart answers, aren't you, kid?"

His face was almost pleasant when he spoke. "I'm a kid now? You've chosen a different tune to whistle, Mai."

His flippancy only aggravated her short-fused temper that much more and she slapped a hand down on his desk, the sharp retort ruffling a stack of papers nearby, but not Kaiba's calm exterior. "Fuck you, Seto – whatever feelings I have or ever had for you, you're rapidly making me forget them." Her anger spiked at the sight of his smirk, glorious eyes flashing dangerously. "You knew I wanted to be free for the party tonight, you knew I wanted to be there!"

If she'd considered his smirk annoying, the look of clearly feigned innocence he produced next only served to make her blood boil that much faster. "Really? Is that tonight?" Kaiba just shrugged airily, spinning around in his chair in a casual and thoroughly dismissive fashion. "Well, I'm afraid that can't be helped. Work comes first after all…"

His words were halted by a furious shake of her curl-topped head, pale cheeks flushed unattractively with the sign of her anger. "And if I refuse? I know you're only doing this to further your own filthy measures."

Unlike Mai, Kaiba actually kept his cool. "In doing so, you would breach your contract with Golden Eye and would find yourself out of a job." A flicker of sapphire in her direction, taking in the stiff, irate set of her shoulders. "You'd be leaving him all alone, with all those hungry, hungry people just waiting to feed on his looks…"

There was a brief, fleeting moment in which Kaiba thought he had gone too far, but that was dispelled when her shoulders slumped, golden hair falling forwards to hide her face. "I wanted to be there tonight…" Mai said in a tired voice, clearly holding on fast to the last shreds of her dignity. There had been a time when the proud woman before him had answered to no one, had danced to her own tune instead of listening to others. She was older now and just as beautiful, but her spirit had softened, cracks appearing in a once impenetrable personality. She really was so predictable now, no fun at all – she couldn't refuse him anything now. Not a thing. "He's worked so hard…he's done so well."

"I suppose." Kaiba dismissed Ryou's successes with a flip of his hand, earning a flinch from the blonde woman before him. "He's had luck on his side, as well as outside help. I know you and Otogi's bitch boy have sheltered him from the worst of it. I'd be interested to see how he copes when he has to do his own thing."

"And you're not helping him?" Her body remained tightly wound, emotions clearly seething under the tired mask she sent him, eyes half closed while her upper lip budded tremulously.

"No," was his firm answer. "I'm moulding him."

"You're changing him."

"For the better."

"For you."

"Maybe."

Mai was quiet for a while and, to be brutally honest, Kaiba didn't care why. He'd long since stopped caring for the Kujaku woman, probably at around the same time Mokuba had…had…

"Kaiba…" The soft-spoken comment was a plea and the brunette was roused from his musings, unblinking sapphires aimed at Mai once more. Her own amethyst eyes were misty now, wracked with indecision and he could almost see the battle raging behind the admittedly beautiful face. Curious as to what it was she wanted to beg of him, Kaiba quirked a fine brow ever so slightly, but was surprised to see her face settle again, her gaze slipping away from his. "Nothing…"

888

"Fucking _hell!_"

Ryou managed to blush, laugh and duck down behind Malik all at the same time. Compared to his flushed skin, the teen's hair really was a startling white. "That good, huh?"

His friend had a wide-eyed look on his tanned face, jaw slack as he scanned the crowd filling the greeting room. "There are so many people!"

"Look at the design of the place!" Yuugi was standing on the other side of Malik, just as captivated by the room and its occupants as the Egyptian was. "It's so…beautiful…"

"They're the ones who're beautiful, Yuugi," Malik said, waving a hand at the group in general. "They're all so tall…"

"And elegant…"

"And hot…"

"And sexy…"

Ryou just laughed softly, tickled by his friends' awestruck expressions. "It's a modelling company, guys; of course they're all beautiful!"

While Malik continued to stare unabashedly, Yuugi turned back to their pale friend, a crooked smile pulling at his lips with a mixture of pride and wistfulness. "And they're all here for you, Ryou – it's your party after all."

"Damn right!" All three youths jumped when a cheerful voice sounded very close to them and a lanky arm slid around Ryou's neck. "Everyone had ta turn up when Bambi earned his licence…"

"Bambi?" Malik asked in a wickedly curious tone.

"It's a model thing," another voice assured them and yet another arm looped casually around the white-haired boy's shoulders. "Big eyes…cute personality…bound to be a hottie when he grows up…"

Smiling up through his blush at Otogi and Jou, Ryou's eyes were shining with embarrassed excitement. "I get my licence tonight?"

The dark-haired man gave a feline smile, nodding at the two others present who were currently keeping both Jou and himself under close scrutiny. _So these are Ryou's friends…protective much? Must be a common factor he causes in those who know him…_

"Yep," he carried on, expression amiable as he ruffled that mess of white hair, feeling Ryou squirm underneath his ministrations. "Management's sold ten of the shots you've been in which fulfils your probation period. You're an official Golden Eye model now, sweetheart."

Those wide brown eyes, when turned on Otogi, made him feel warm and fuzzy, despite his customary razor sharp attitude. Bambi was just too fluffy for his own good…

"Really?" The question was tentatively put, his voice quivering with nervous anticipation – Ryou sounded as if he half-expected all of this to be some elaborate (and cruel) joke.

Seeing the grin on Jou's face and the way his lover squeezed Ryou that much more firmly around the shoulders, Otogi hid his own wide smile as he reached into a pocket, pulling out a slip of laminated card. Tossing it to Ryou, indicating that he should read it, the dark-haired man gave him a thumbs up and a wink. "Welcome to Golden Eye, Ryou. For real this time – we're never going to let you go…"

Ryou just looked disbelievingly at the card, his fingers curled protectively around it – his flesh was going white at the edges he was gripping it so hard. Even so, the text peered through his digits at him. Writing indicating his name, his age, his physical measurements were all there, as well as the swirling, golden eye that indicated just _who _he was working for. As a more mundane feature, the little black bar meant he could now swipe himself through private doors and the like instead of having to get Jou or Mai to do it for him, but Ryou was more touched by what this tiny rectangle meant.

It meant he belonged – he'd worked and had made his own place here. He could really claim to belong here now…

The men around him could easily see that he was battling to control his emotions and they all looked away out of consideration, choosing to study each other instead. It didn't take long for a very…obvious topic of conversation to come up.

Squinting at Yuugi with a very puzzled cast to his face, Jou looked bemused. "Hey…you wouldn't happen ta have a brother, would you?"

Looking just as confused, the doctor-in-training shook his head slowly, golden bangs accentuating the movement. "No…only child as far as I know."

The blonde chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry; didn't mean ta pry. It's just that yer the spitting image of a friend of ours. Come ta think of it…" He sent a speculative glance towards Malik. "You look like another friend actually…"

The tanned youth gave a lazy smile, resting an arm on Yuugi's shoulder (it was a trick he used to make the slighter youth feel even shorter) "I think I'd know if a family member was a model. Call it luck?"

Jou laughed, face lit up from just knowing that Ryou's friends were this amiable. "Serendipity, huh? You should meet them." Turning, he waved a lanky arm at the two figures by the drinks table. "Hey! Yami…Marik. Come over here for a sec."

Hearing soft laughter from beside him, Otogi looked down to see a (now) composed Ryou chuckling quietly, the precious licence stored away somewhere. The smile was contagious and he raised a questioning eyebrow even as he returned it. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing really," Ryou said in a low voice, but his face spoke volumes of mirth. "It's just I've been waiting forever to see how Malik and Yuugi would take meeting Yami and Marik. I suppose I sort of forgot to mention how similar they look…"

Otogi snickered, green eyes turning towards where the two models were picking their way through the crowd. "So this should be interesting?"

A serene smile. "Very." Which just proved that even Ryou was right sometimes.

"Holy shit, that guy looks just like you, Pharaoh!"

"Marik…it's rude to point."

"Except _even _shorter!"

Now that earned him a glare from both Yami and Yuugi, while Malik just cracked up, clutching his ribs as he struggled to rein in his riotous laughter. The peevish look on the admittedly small men's faces was a priceless one, not to mention the fact it highlighted the similarities between them.

"You have to…haha…admit that he's…hee…right, Yuugi," he managed to splutter out, choking the words through around his bubbles of laughter. The amethyst-eyed youth just sent his friend a helpless look, shrugging the arm off of his shoulder. It was an action that worked well just because it caused the Egyptian to lose his balance, effectively cutting off his laughter while he tried to stay upright. Upon seeing his face uncrinkled by laughter, it was Yami's turn to look impressed.

"You might have found yourself a long lost brother yourself, Marik," the crimson-eyed model pointed out in his stately voice. "You sure your mother didn't spread her love around."

"Probably," the irrepressible blonde said, not looking at all offended by the comment. It was much more productive to rake his eyes appreciatively over Malik. "Damn…he does. Would explain why he's so good-looking though."

Yami rolled his eyes, good-naturedly slapping Marik over the head. "He looks nicer than you - see? You could be like that if you lost some weight…"

Both Malik and Yuugi were looking vaguely stunned by the sheer charisma of the two in front of them, so Ryou took the chance to step in before Marik and Yami started having one of their usual 'friendly' debates.

"When you guys are done," he said, sending a chiding look towards his two colleagues, "Maybe I can introduce you. Marik, Yami; these are my two roommates. Yuugi, Malik; these are two of the people I work with."

"I think I've seen my double here in a pocky advert," Malik said dryly, gaining himself a grin from the taller blonde Egyptian.

"Easiest shoot I ever did – they just wanted me to suck pocky and look like I was enjoying myself," he said, sounding awfully proud of himself. Once again, Yami rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe you got paid to suck stuff – you normally do it for free." Now that had even Yuugi laughing and Yami looked vaguely pleased with himself as he turned to the smaller man. "Well, friends-of-Bambi, can we interest you in a drink? I'm surprised we've never seen you around here before."

"Well, we've all been pretty busy," Yuugi said diplomatically, but Malik sent Ryou a wicked look.

"I think he just didn't want to share all of the hot people with us," he said cheerfully, causing a ripple of laughter around the small group as the four moved off towards the drinks table leaving Ryou with Jou while Otogi quietly excused himself. _He _knew what was coming next.

"They seem nice…" the blonde said as he watched them head off together, talking animatedly as they went.

Ryou smiled absently, gaze drifting across the people in the room, clearly looking for someone. "They're the best…I've known Yuugi since forever and Malik's been there for me ever since I met him."

"Good people ta have around, then," Jou murmured, cocking his head at his shorter friend. Amber eyes went flat briefly before he pulled himself together, a bright if somewhat forced smile appearing on his lips. "Who're you lookin' for?"

"Mai…" came the soft answer, Ryou's attention never once leaving the crowd he was scanning so hopefully. "She said she was coming specially for tonight." He could see Isis looking as calm as always whilst she talked to an equally regal looking Dartz. Clumped together in a rough trio, Amelda and Varon, plus the stoic Raphael were present though only the brown-haired man waved when he noted Ryou's eyes on them. Even the miniature (and far too smart for her own good) Rebecca sent him a wink and a girlish smile. All of them friends…but no Mai.

Jou sighed internally at the sight of the hopeful look on Ryou's face, his overly compassionate heart sinking in his chest. Why did Ryou have to be so…child-like? How did anyone get to eighteen and still act so mind-numbingly naïve? And why the hell did he have to be the one to break it to him that Mai wouldn't be here tonight?

"Bamb-…Ryou…" Clearly hearing the unease in Jou's voice, Ryou's search faltered as he turned hesitantly towards the taller youth. It was unlike his enthusiastic friend to look so worried and that in itself worried _him._ Running anxious fingers through perpetually ruffled hair, Jou's face creased with fretfulness. "Mai…she couldn't make it tonight…" He winced at the flash of disbelief tinged with pain that made its way like emotional lightening over Ryou's heartbreaking features. "They wanted to shoot some night shots over at the park…somethin' they couldn't do on the set and this was the only night they had permission to use it." He didn't mention that he had his suspicions about just who had organised the shoot and the actual availability of the site – Ryou looked crestfallen enough as it was without him adding fuel to the fire. "She…ah…wanted me ta give you this…" Reaching into the pocket of his green jacket, Jou pulled out a flat black box tied up with a gauzy ribbon, holding it out self-consciously towards him. "She says sorry…"

Trying to hide his cutting disappointment (and failing miserably) Ryou took the box with a hand that trembled ever so slightly. His message delivered, Jou fled, muttering something about going to make sure Otogi wasn't sweet-talking anyone else in the room. His parting wasn't noticed unduly; such was the concentration Ryou was placing upon the box as he tugged at the ribbon, not watching where it fell since he was more interested in the contents.

Inside, nestled on a snowy bed of cotton wool, Ryou found what Mai had sent in place of her and, while no replacement for her company on this day of pride, it was beautiful in itself. Gold metal gleamed softly, alluringly, under the lights above him. The light traced a path along a fine chain that coiled snakelike across the snowy bed. Still, the beauty of the necklace lay in its pendant. Ornate and archaic, the sculpted ring with its delicate pointers spoke of a time years ago, of a completely alien culture, of strange power and ancient beliefs all set in the whispering, shimmering gold. The chain lay across his palm like silk, the ring weaving a slow and steady path through the air as it hung on its anchor.

Beauty. Both in form and meaning, all doubled since it was a gift from Mai.

And there was a note. Fumbling with the box, the slip of paper and the precious piece of jewellery, Ryou opened it, scanning the curvy-scripted writing within.

_Ryou,_

_I want you to know that I didn't desert you willingly – this shoot just came up and I couldn't get out of it. I wanted to be here with you tonight, but I'm so proud of you, you know that right? You'll have gotten your licence by now and that just proves what I always knew of you. I'm still sorry though…_

_About the gift – it's a sort of good luck charm really. The guy who sold it to me told me some long, involved story about ancient Egypt and magic, but that was boring. The main part was that this Sennen Ring will bring you luck – see those pointers? _(Ryou looked at them, touching them with a gentle finger and smiled when they made a soft tinkling noise against each other, like ghostly wind chimes) _They're supposed to point you the way to true happiness, so follow them where you will. It's corny…but cute somehow._

_Again, I'm so proud of you sweetheart – I knew you'd get this far and you're going to get that much higher._

_Mai._

"Ryou! Are you going to stand there all evening? Come and celebrate!"

Ryou jumped, stuffing both the box and the note into his pocket as he hastily fastened the Ring around his neck. "Coming…"

888

Even with the dampening effect of Mai's conspicuous absence, Ryou enjoyed himself – watching Marik and Yami flirt shamelessly with the coy Yuugi and Malik was a popular subject of conversation. To his surprise, he wasn't the only one who missed Mai's presence; Varon, after heartily congratulating him, had looked strangely disappointed that the blonde woman wasn't there which was puzzling – as far as Ryou knew, the older man normally kept company with Raphael and Amelda. Still, even that thought was swept away as person after person came over to offer their congratulations and good wishes. Out of all those new models the day he had arrived, it seemed only he had made it to this point…to him, it was a humbling and overwhelming thought.

So overwhelming in fact, Ryou actually found himself separating himself from the main group, more than a little addled by all the attention and the several glasses of wine that had been pushed on him by various people. Hiding out in a corner of the room, he sighed wearily, pushing white hair out of his half-shadowed eyes. Social interaction could be so _exhausting _sometimes – he wasn't used to being the centre of attention; probably never would be. He just needed some air for a minute…

Not that he was going to get it.

"You aren't making merry with the rest of the rabble?" Great…just great – all he wanted was a moment of peace and he got Kaiba instead, the person who was most guaranteed to keep him on edge. It had taken a while, but Ryou had finally put a name to the breathless, tingly feel he got around the ice-eyed man – attraction. For someone as naïve as the fluffy boy, such a realisation had been hard and had only occurred after a _lot _of denial and a _lot _of arguing with himself. But it was attraction, plain and simple.

Now if he only knew why.

That had been an unsettling thought for a while. Out of all the people in the world, why did his heart have to lean towards someone who so obviously disliked him AND the world at large. Kaiba was arrogant, cold natured, detestable to both Otogi and Jou – Ryou's mind just screamed at him 'how?' Salvation had come from an unlikely source; the distant memory of a woman he called mother.

_Love isn't scientific, Ryou, you can't analyse it. Love doesn't have a beginning or end to it. It defies logic and reason, it makes us all do strange things and you find it in the strangest places. Remember, Ryou; love doesn't happen…love just is._

It had never been said that his mother was an overly intelligent woman, but the words had stuck and even now they offered him peace in a time of turmoil. And turmoil was pretty much all Kaiba ever guaranteed. Maybe it wasn't love though…he could always chalk it up to hormones, couldn't he?

Gulping audibly, Ryou glanced up at him warily through strands of silver-white hair, shaking his head ever so slightly. "I just needed a break for a while."

"Hn." The sound was an admission, a thoughtful one and for just a moment, Ryou thought he saw a tiny smirk flash across that painfully handsome face. Once again, his stomach decided to tie itself in knots, just at the sound of Kaiba's voice. "Tired of them already?"

Predictably, Ryou's face darkened to a rich plum: he looked as if he could combust any moment. "It's not that, it's just…just…"

Kaiba raised a perfect eyebrow, clearly amused at his charge's flustered attitude over what he was supposed to say. Contradict the (obviously and very) scary Kaiba, or defend the reputations of the others, despite the fact that it was clear Kaiba already hated them? Decision, decisions.

Then again, Ryou never had been very good at making quick decisions on the go and he was taking far too long about it, dithering and dallying too much for the brunet's liking. Kaiba's patience had never been bounteous and he'd already lost interest in Ryou's stammerings, if not Ryou himself. He was already turning away, long trench coat radiating outwards _just _to make the movement flawlessly dramatic.

Ryou sighed, irrationally disappointed that he hadn't been able to hold Kaiba's attention for anything longer than three minutes. _You're an idiot, _he told himself miserably, _an idiot and a fool and a-_

"Are you coming?"

The smaller man flinched, startled and wide eyes looking nervously up towards a pair of impatient blue ones. "Excuse me?"

The brunet snorted, flapping a somehow derogatory hand at him. "Do you really want to stay here?" he asked, tone dripping with clear disdain for the people who were still happily (and obliviously) enjoying themselves just around the corner, unaware that their little friend was currently being looked at with a very predatory gaze.

"But..." Ryou was finding it hard to speak, a caged bird flapping within his chest, beating at his ribs in an effort to distract him. _It hurts…it hurts and I don't want it to. _"They're out there…for me. It would be rude to go." _Why does no one realise I've gone? Why won't someone stop it being just me and him?_

"Rude?" Kaiba actually laughed at that, a low laugh that came from his stomach. "No-one cares. In this world, you can't dance around foolish sensibilities and morality. You see what you want and you take it." He took a step forwards, his looming frame forcing Ryou back up against the wall. The slender young man had to tilt his head upwards, lips pressed tightly together in an effort to keep them from trembling, eyes wide in an effort to keep them from quivering. "Now do you want to stay in a place with fake little people and fake little lives?" A hand on the side of his face, smooth skin cool against the burning flush he held. Ryou saw danger in those eyes, those dragon's eyes. _Mai, why aren't you here to keep me safe?_ "Or do you want to come with me now?"

"They're waiting…they'd worry…" His feeble protests were cut off as that hand pressed harder, sliding down to brush the hollow of his throat where a pulse beat wildly.

"Your top-heavy blonde isn't there, is she?" Kaiba didn't wait for an answer as he smirked, warm breath ghosting over Ryou's face even as his practiced fingers brushed his shoulder, touching just underneath the collar of his shirt. "She's been taking care of you, special attention. I'm sure she's told you all sorts of nasty stories about me…but haven't you ever wondered why?"

Ryou flinched as Kaiba leant in, but that beautiful face went past his, lips coming to rest by his ear. "Come with me and I'll let you in on just who she really is."

Doubt assailed him there and then, panic starting to worm its way into his bones. _She wouldn't, not Mai. Anyone, but her…he's too close. Kaiba's too close and I feel so hot, hot and twitchy and I don't want him touching me, but I do want him to touch me...confused…not Mai, she wouldn't…would she? _

Kaiba watched with interest as Ryou seemed to break down before him. The kid had a face like a book – a library book because everyone could read it for free. The flickering emotions on his face; pain, indecision, foolish trust – it all made a very pretty picture, but it was rapidly getting boring. Still, when those chocolate eyes looked up at him, filled with the possibility of _what might be, _he had to admit he knew what was coming.

"Come with me," he urged, voice as seductive as that snake all those eons ago in the Garden of Eden.

Doubt. Distrust. _Choice. _"Fine…"

_I'm sorry, Mai…so sorry, but I have to know and he's touching me. God, he's touching me and I never want it to end. Drowning in blue…falling….have to stay focused. Maybe I should count; people always say to count when you're stressed and…he's looking at me like that again._

_One, two, three…_

888

Well, here's an update – again, the wait was annoying, but I've had some other things on my plate. Exams are killers, plus all the school plays I've had to be in/help out with. I don't know how they keep knuckling me into it…

Can anyone else tell I've been reading Angel Sanctuary? Poor Ryou though…I know what it's like to have all those thoughts running rampage through your mind and I'm feeling very sorry for her. I'm feeling sorry for quite a few of my characters, but hey…

**Review Replies:**

**Ariadne Bassarid: **You hit the nail on the head, love – that shows what made me write this piece in the first place. **Laughs** My inspiration is really that shallow and uneducated. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm completely hooked on that show…

**Elle-Fatex-**: I'm sure everyone should feel 'poor Ryou' **Sighs** I'm too evil really…

**Saffron-Starlight**: Madness? Good madness or bad madness…?

**Amichanfan12345**: Kaiba is an ass **Laughs** I'm still glad you liked it, even if you don't know why…

**RalphiereRedux**: You're a wonderful friend! Rene, who's supposed to be my best mate hates my writing – at least you like it XD You didn't do a very good job of poking me though, did you? **Snickers**

**Incoherent**: Heh – damn fanfiction net, huh? I'm still glad for you review AND your lj comments.

**Dreamingsilver**: Heh, you picked up on something I'd already thought about – clearly we think alike. Anyway, as you've read, people weren't unduly bothered – they put it down to chance.

**Miyosuke**: Heh…I DO update, just sporadically…

**Temprush**: **Taps nose** That's a secret – you'll have to carry on reading to find out, huh? **Laughs** Sorry – I couldn't resist…I am sorry for the wait though.

**Trev**: Oh my God, you found me. **Hides** I'm veeery happy that you like the story so far…and Gyan is not a stalker boy and I think he got the wrong impression. **Sighs** I was scared. Very scared.


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